My day usually starts with a gentle (or sometimes not-so-gentle) reminder to my two children to get ready and stand by the door in preparation for the daily school run. Once they are dispatched, my day continues in one of two ways – I either cycle into the office, arriving breathlessly twenty minutes later, or I sit at my Mac at home and plan my day’s work - I find the mixture of being able to interact with everyone at work on some days, and sit quietly at home to get on with projects undisturbed on others, works best for me.
Being Creative Director is a wonderfully varied role, especially at a full service agency like apt where it’s all hands on deck – my official job spec is to design and oversee the creation of all marketing collateral from brochures to ads to websites but the breadth of clients we have means I’m learning new skills all the time. I have found myself working on projects for clients ranging from probate services to coffee shops, from waste disposal to cycling holidays, and I’m also responsible for putting together branding strategy documents and corporate guidelines to help our clients maintain the high standards we introduce – no two days are ever the same!
I have worked at huge agencies in London and in Sydney, Australia, but I can honestly say that this has been my most varied role to date. I am constantly challenged to find the best creative outcome for clients, and am always learning new techniques and new applications to help keep my style current, relevant and at the forefront of new technology – the marketing world moves so quickly it’s an effort to keep up! We are truly a team at apt, with everyone contributing ideas and suggestions and giving constructive feedback to help create the best solutions for our clients, and I feel lucky to work with such a talented and driven bunch.
Of course it’s not all work and we enjoy a great atmosphere, regular nights out and ‘fat Fridays’ as well as ‘wobbly Wednesdays’ – there are always far too many cakes lying around. By the end of the day I usually feel satisfied that I’ve achieved what I needed to for that day, and have drawn up a list of what still needs doing – tomorrow is another day.