Paul Grogan is the founder and MD of Bury-based Think creative design agency. The Captain of the Ship, the master of the house, the boss of all bosses he runs the business with wife Maz and a super talented team of up and coming designers, thinkers and marketing gurus.
He’s a familiar face on the Manchester creative circuit – but what really makes him tick?
Years in the game?
23 years, 4 of which are as the owner of a creative agency. Good Lord, that makes me feel old!
Best thing about your job?
It’s hard to say as I really do have the best job in the world – getting to work on show-stopping ideas and concepts all day, every day.
You really can’t beat the buzz when you come up with a brilliant creative design – and you know you’ve smashed it. Then you get to experience that feeling all over again when you present it to your client and they feel the same.
I also get a huge thrill from knowing that we’ve created something that is going to make a difference to the client’s business in real terms.
I’ve built my career on having a solid grasp of my clients business challenges and the commercial impact of solving them – making them look good to customers and stakeholders by producing beautiful creative that drives ROI is definitely a highlight, and keeps them coming back too!
Dream client?
What makes a dream client?
Big enough budgets which mean that everything can be done properly, such as photoshoots, copywriting, design – ensuring that when we produce a fantastic website, it’s not let down by poor quality images.
A genuine awareness of creativity and what it can do for their business makes jobs run far more smoothly, particularly those clients that have a creative vision. Many clients don’t know what they want until they see it – but then again, getting inside their heads and wowing them is half the fun!
Trust in the agency they commission is key. Giving us full creative license brings out the best work. Although we always keep on track with a brief and regular collaboration, when a client says “we know you’ll do a great job whatever you come up with” is the dream.
Your superpower?
My ability to ID a typeface, or recall an image used on a job, or even a project detail from 15 years ago.
Paul lives in Bury with his wife Maz who also works at Think and is proud Dad to Lola, Sam and Max. He is a keen photographer, particularly of iconic Manchester landscapes.
