Ever since I was young I was always dreaming of becoming a designer.
    Encouraged by my parents, I graduated, from my home town of Ashington in Northumberland with B-Tec diplomas in both Design and Graphic Design, before moving to London to complete my Higher National Diploma in Typography, at the London College of Printing in the summer of ‘96.
    It was there that I fell in love with the printed page and quickly discovered a wealth of  mediums to showcase my growing appetite and appreciation of the finer disciplines of the language of type.
    After graduating I soon launched my freelance career in publishing, initially spanning four years, and had the pleasure of collaborating with titles such as Elle, Elle Decoration, Harpers & Queen, World of interiors and Cosmopolitan - to name but a few.
    I then took an opportunity to work full-time with both Slimming and Here’s Health magazines, initially as a Designer, and then six months later I was promoted to Senior Designer.
    In July 2002 I moved to She magazine, taking on the role of Senior Designer for two years before deciding to leave for the award-winning Country Living magazine, initially joining as a Senior Designer before becoming their Art Editor.
    As the brand grew in stature and with it’s shows and events swelling with popularity, I welcomed the opportunity to become increasingly involved with designing their merchandise and visuals. After helping the advancement of the brand, I wanted to seek a fresh adventure. So, after eleven years of service, I decided to reignite my freelance career.
    It was then, that I was  immediately reintroduced to, what is now TI Media, where over the following three years I worked on the Woman&Home brand and it’s quarterly sister titles, Feel Good You and Feel Good Food.
    In October 2018, I accepted my current full-time position on the Art Hub as Acting Senior Art Editor, which also included filling in for the Creative Director when necessary.
    As much as I love the boundless and pristine perfection of working digitally, I’ve always been drawn to those unique imperfections of ink and traditional methods that I had first encountered during my HND  days that computers can’t capture. So from time to time, I like to enrol on printing, drawing and calligraphy courses as an extra creative outlet.
    But whether using printing presses or computers, to me, it’s all about being creative and exploring ways of delivering clear and positive messages.