Thoughts

When I was 10, I wrote my SATs papers in italics. My handwriting filled the ruled lines completely, written at a 45-degree slant and almost definitely illegible. But the most important thing was that I thought it looked really good. From that point on, I discovered my love for typography, going from wasting hours obsessing over PowerPoint fonts for projects (that barely required a slide deck) to becoming the designated creative among my peers, crafting their names in calligraphy and replicating parents’ signatures to dodge PE.

Throughout school, I was constantly doodling in margins or copying typography off textbook covers to the point where teachers started giving me blank paper to draw on during lessons. It was obvious I leaned heavily towards creative subjects over academic ones, even if it meant enduring extra maths tuition on the side. By the time I left, I had become a fully-fledged ‘art hermit’, spending countless lunchtimes and after-school hours in the art studio, my weekends shooting weddings or painting pet portraits, and ultimately winning fine art and photography awards at both school and sixth form. It was all the confirmation I needed that I was heading in exactly the right direction.

Expanding into graphic design felt like a natural evolution for me, as the course offered the perfect creative umbrella to pull all my artistic skills together. Plus, its strong career prospects gave my parents some peace of mind! With that, I jumped in headfirst and began my BA in Graphic Design at Norwich University of the Arts in 2018.

The first year of student life was brilliant. Partying all the time, rushing to lectures with a headache from the night before, but also learning so much about the essence of a brand. I thrived, surrounded by like-minded people who cared about design as much as I did. I was taught by specialists in their fields and attended guest lectures from the best in the business. I felt like I was finding my feet and I loved everything the course had to offer.

Then came the start of my second year in 2020, when COVID-19 threw a massive curveball into both my studies and social life. Almost overnight, I went from a bustling studio of over 40 students to working from my bedroom at my parents’ house, relying on brief 15-minute check-ins with lecturers. Planned internships were put on hold, leaving us unable to gain the industry experience we were advised to get. It definitely wasn’t the university experience I had envisioned, but knowing that everyone was in the same boat made it easier to adapt and we powered through a hybrid third year. Despite all the chaos, hand sanitisers, and face masks along the way, I was thrilled to graduate with First-Class Honours.

Things ramped up fast from there. Just a day after graduating, having done my interview while still recovering from the post-grad party the night before, I landed my first design job as a Junior Graphic Designer, a huge win I definitely didn’t see coming so quickly. The shift to agency life was a real eye-opener. I went from having weeks to work on a brief to having mere hours to turn around finished work. Without prior industry experience, the tight deadlines and direct feedback made me question my abilities at first and ‘get my shit together’ fast as a designer.

Those early doubts didn’t last long. I eventually grew into the role, stepping up to a Midweight Designer position two years later. Between winning major pitches and working with brilliant clients, things were moving at full speed and I was loving every second. But after three and a half years, redundancy abruptly brought my time at the agency to an end. Overnight, my routine was completely upended and the anxiety of sudden unemployment set in.

I knew design jobs were few and far between. Conversations with friends at London agencies had highlighted the widespread worry of redundancies and lack of design jobs, but you can’t quite relate until you’re in that position yourself. I found myself relentlessly refreshing my inbox, scrolling LinkedIn, and messaging old connections in the hope of good news. After a month of searching, that good news came via a university lecturer, who told me about an opening at a local Norwich agency. I reached out right away and was lucky enough to join the team.

Returning to a creative environment felt like a breath of fresh air. I quickly found myself taking on new challenges, from designing and building websites for UK-wide companies to directing full-scale advertising campaigns shown across the country. However, after a year at the agency, I knew it was time to move on and take the next step in my career. I was eager to apply everything I had learned to fresh, ambitious projects.

When the opportunity to join the team at We Are Fred came about, I knew it was the right move. I had followed WAF ever since they opened their Norwich studio, so the prospect of joining was genuinely exciting. I felt ready to step up to a larger agency and tackle higher-profile client work than I was used to. Three months in, I’m still learning every day but I feel completely at home. The team has been incredibly supportive, and I’m loving the chance to pick up new software and sharpen my techniques.

Reflecting on my path so far, it’s really rewarding to see how my creative journey has taken shape. I’ve evolved from a student who obsessively colour-coded her exercise books, wrote super neatly, and couldn’t stop doodling, into the designer I am today, applying that same attention to detail to real-world branding. The only difference now? It’s actually my job to sit and be creative all day.

I’m sure many aspiring designers can relate to my path, whether that means gravitating towards creative subjects in school or taking a little time to find your footing in the industry. The secret is simply to keep going and immerse yourself in creative projects whenever you can. I make a point to stay inspired outside my 9–5, whether I’m drawing custom pet portraits, taking on small freelance design jobs, or still writing in italics. Staying active with small personal projects is the best way to keep learning and stay connected to why I fell in love with design in the first place.