Work I’d like to do in the year ahead

This time last year, I wrapped up my Director of Product Design contract at Nozomi Networks. That was a big change but also an opportunity to evaluate what I’d enjoyed about the role and what I missed from more varied design projects.

We’re on holiday in France for a couple of weeks. It’s the place we’ve returned to (almost) year after year for the past 25 years. It’s where we can take a deep breath in and a long breath out to clear our heads and plan the year ahead.

Over the past year, I’ve worked on several projects, which have given me the space to explore the more creative aspects of design.

• I designed a campaign website for the Open University encouraging young people to become more involved in politics
• I worked with composers Alessandro Mastroianni, Michael Baugh, and Tristan Jakob-Hoff
• I designed the campaign website for comedy candidate Count Binface, who stood against Rishi Sunak at the general election

I also took the opportunity of my website redesign to blog more about design, including a recent series on how political parties could improve their communication and engagement through better design.

Working on these projects made me realise the benefits better design can bring to businesses, charities, and even political organisations and how my experience in art direction, creative design, and user experience design can help them.

What I’m looking for in the year ahead

One of the things I miss from my five years at Nozomi Networks is being able to shape an organisation’s design direction over a period longer than a single project. I’d love to work with a business, charity, or political organisation to improve their communication of messages and increase their donations, engagement, memberships, and sales. I’d like to work part-time—1–2 days per week or 2–3 weeks per month—or full-time with the right organisation as a Design Leader, Head of (Product) Design, or Chief Design Officer.

I also appreciate how much I enjoy the variety of working on different projects, so I would love to work with other designers, developers, or agencies. I can lead projects and collaborate and often bring an alternative perspective to problem-solving.

Of course, I’d also like to work on product and website design projects through Stuff & Nonsense. I’ve updated my portfolio to include recent work, which I hope demonstrates how I use design to tell a brand’s story, communicate its messages, and ultimately improve its results.

If you work with a business, charity, or political organisation and would like to discuss my joining you as a Design Leader, I’d be thrilled to hear from you. If you’re a designer, developer, or agency interested in collaborating, please get in touch. And if you’re looking for an experienced designer to work with you on a project, I’d love to hear about that.