I am a multimedia creative with over two decades of experience in Logo design, Graphic design, Branding, Website Design & Development, online marketing, IllustratioN, Music and Photography
Logo design
I have helped start-ups, new ventures and established local businesses develop unique visual identities that have defined their marketing materials and promoted their services. When applied consistently, a crisp, original, professional logo design can raise the presence and profile of a business, and make it stand out from the crowd. The logos below are just some of those that I have designed for clients over the years.
Branding
When "new media" was a buzz word and businesses first started getting online, I wanted to know how logo and website design fitted into the bigger picture. In order to learn more I gleaned as much experience as I could working with brand specialists at design agencies. I have since worked as Creative Director for an array of diverse start-ups and SMEs, guiding them through an effective and consistent branding process. As a result I have designed logos, stationery, leaflets, print adverts, fleet livery, interactive presentations, online video guides, websites and ecommerce stores. The following is just a sample of my work.
Website design and development
I designed my first website when getting online required listening to the raucous screech of a 33K modem dialling up. I had found my ikigai. I gave up a well paid job in IT to join a design agency where the only role available was a "Web Monkey" (that's not a joke, it was my job title). Since then I have freelanced at leading digital design agencies in London and Edinburgh, founded and run a dotcom, and now manage my own web design and marketing business. I have worked in every sector and supported a vast array of businesses: passionate startups, outfitters with a Royal Warrant to the Queen, overseas businesses, one man bands, community councils, historic local estates, multinational B2B ventures, and many more.
COMPLEMENTARY services
When I began optimising websites, search engines such as Lycos, HotBot, Excite, Alta Vista and AOL Search were no more than poorly ordered lists; then came Google, keywords, Panda, Penguin and all that followed.
As I’ve always promoted my own businesses and services I ensured that a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the myriad complexities of online marketing was at the core of my digital skill set – it doesn’t matter how great a site looks, it’s pointless if no-one can find it.
I now have over two decades of experience on the subject, and regularly work with businesses to help them improve their online marketing strategies. I could write a meticulously detailed, jargon filled and mind-numbingly tedious book on the subject, but I’ll leave it there.
First and foremost I am a creative; that should be clear from the plethora of designs, illustrations, concepts, musical creations and photographs showcased throughout this portfolio (more below).
I do however firmly believe that designers can’t create an effective website if they don’t know how to build, test and fix it themselves. I have a thorough knowledge of HTML and CSS and build and style responsive websites from scratch, taking them from concept design to the optimised and comprehensively tested finished article.
I have also worked alongside and supported technical architects on .NET and PHP projects, and I have extensive experience designing, developing, optimising and maintaining content managed WordPress websites, complex interactive ecommerce stores, and feature rich estate agent platforms.
In the past, more times than I care to remember, I switched from one hosting company to another. I was simply never happy with the service and support provided.
I now have my own server and host and support all my client’s websites and technical needs – it’s the only way to ensure the highest level of performance and reliability.
Powered by industry leading cPanel™ control panel, CloudLinux & LiteSpeed, I provide tailored hosting solutions and technical support for online brochures, content managed WordPress sites and secure resource hungry ecommerce stores.
As I design, develop, test, optimise, host, support and promote websites myself, it means that my clients only ever need one point of contact.
Illustration
I had a truly inept art teacher at school; he didn't teach me a thing, not even the curriculum. On the up side I was free to use the "art computers" whenever I wanted to.
I taught myself to illustrate and animate on Deluxe Paint 4 on a 1MB Amiga. It was illustration pixel by pixel, but a process that later helped me master Macromedia Flash, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
Artworking
Artworking, or 'Photoshopping', is a skill that is often required during creative projects. Typical processes include tidying and touching up images, removing items from a photo, or creating a completely new scene. I wanted an impressive opening backdrop for this site, so I created one myself using my own photos and a few illustrated stars. Click on a photo below to enlarge it.
Illustrated props
During design projects there is often a need for a graphic, a realistic effect, or real life item to complete a concept. I illustrated everything on here using Flash or Photoshop; Post-it Notes, Polaroid photos, torn note paper, pin board pins, the gift card, Christmas baubles and an old portable TV.
Buttons & Icons
Websites and interactive projects require buttons, icons and navigational aids. These can be purchased from stock websites, but i create them myself if I can't find the right style. These are some of the buttons and icons I have illustrated for various projects.
Animated portfolios
As a digital creative I've had to come up with some distinctive and eye-catching portfolios to promote my work. I illustrated and animated each of the following websites in the once great software that was Flash (and despite Prince Vultan's insistence, Flash is now very much dead).
Space | 1999 - Out of darkness a spaceship powered up, activated sensors, lowered shields and revealed that it was orbiting the Earth. It allowed the user to listen to my music in a rather novel setting (whisper mode, sensors and charts were all interactive).
Nature | 2002 - Appearing out of mist, plants, trees, mountains, animated leaves, grass, insects and birds faded into view. Complete with natural sound effects and a calming sound track, the site presented my photo portfolio.
Metal | 2005 - I animated this portfolio so a myriad of metal components unfolded and built themselves into the screen, navigational menu and sound system. Users could browse designs, photos and listen to music. Pressing "Reboot" made the entire screen explode into shards before it rebuilt itself afresh.
Water | 2008 - My last animated portfolio formed from bubbles underwater, with icons bobbing in the sunlit underwater current. Bubbles were released when the cursor rested on an icon, and lettering popped into nothingness when the cursor was removed. designs, photos, illustrations and music could be enjoyed.
Notebook
I illustrated this book in flash for an earlier animated portfolio. It now shows sketches from school (and bender).
Music composition and production
With the help of my Dad I first wrote music in Basic on a 32k BBC when I was nine… there was a lot of beeping. I switched to sequencing on an Amiga when I was 16 – that had just 1MB of memory. I got into DJing (old school vinyl) at university before significantly upgrading my music hardware and software. I’ve since written, produced and published eight multi-genre albums released using the artist name Scambler.
Folk rock
Pop/Dance
Rap/Nu metal
Rocktronica
Retro Electric
Piano/Orchestra
Breakbeat
Indie rock
Music licensing
My music has been licensed by film studios, TV stations, advertisers and software developers around the world, and you'll find some recent examples below. Visit my music website to preview and instantly license independent royalty free music at highly affordable music licensing prices.
SANTANDER "Żyjesz jak chcesz" Advert | PTV | Poland
Track used: Who am I? | Available on the royalty free breakbeat rap music album
Campbell’s Nourish Advert | CBC | Canada
Track used: On Black Meldon | Available on the royalty free folk rock music album
So you think you can dance | Fox | USA
Track used: Lighting fires | Available on the royalty free EDM music album
Mars Ultimate Challenge | Nova | USA
Track used: Child | Available on the royalty free indie rock music album
Red Bull Cliff Diving | Dave | Europe
Track used: Release me | Available on the royalty free rocktronica music album
BBC World News | BBC | Global
Track used: East of Lyne | Available on the royalty free indie rock music album
Photography
I started taking photos on a second hand Canon SLR back in school. Working with an old camera, then transitioning through a range of digital cameras as technology evolved, and finally working with professional stock photographs as a website designer helped me develop an eye for capturing an image. Light, colour, contrast, texture and landscapes are preferred topics. View more photos on my photography website.
Altered reality
I like to elevate my photographs and create surreal eye-catching views. Only a little Photoshop editing was undertaken to create the following reality-distorting and otherworldly scenes. Where possible I only combine photographs taken in close geographic proximity for a more consistent look.
