I have been freelancing as a graphic designer for nearly (cough) 30 years now, but almost always alongside other work, mostly in educational and literary publishing. The longest organisation I worked for lasted for over 20 years and covered a huge variety of areas, starting with subscriptions and admin work, to marketing, website design, database building, book covers and illustration work, writing articles, social media, copyright and permissions, some video work and animation and even doing the daily accounts over the past few years! I think 20 years is a pretty good run, so last year I decided that it was time to take stock of all the skills that I have built up and invest them into my own graphic design business, full time, a business that works around me and my daughter in exactly the way that she and I need it to.
Since January this year I have worked on so many exciting projects for old and new clients. I have worked on newsletters and websites for the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, designed 4 logos, created two books and 3 book covers, created materials for a variety of Cambridge Creatives, Public World Ltd, Dyslexia Matters, AstraZeneca, Cambridge Science Centre, Hyundai, IFM Engage, Fuelling Minds, Tall Roots, The Cambridge Women’s Resource Centre and exciting ongoing projects for Cambridge University’s Archaeological Department making archaeology accessible to children in local schools. I’m also enjoying working on my first music project in 20 years, designing vinyl and cd artwork with amazing Cambridge-based musician Luke James Williams. I feel very fortunate to have been able to hit the ground running and work with so many new clients this year.
I also feel grateful for the flexibility and autonomy I have over my time now. For years I worked 9 and 5 hours and rarely took my lunch break. Now I work and walk and rest and have the odd guilt-free lie-in when I need it!
So, thank you to all my clients this year, I have really enjoyed and appreciated working with each and every one of you and hope I get to see as many of you as possible in the New Year! But for now, I will work through the rest of my tick-list before stopping for a well-earned break. Might even get down to the beach this Christmas Day! (Worthing, not the Bahamas – maybe next year!).