1. When did you realise you wanted to be a designer?

I was always creative from a young age, always drawing, sketching, and building collages. But I think it really started when I was skating, somewhere between 2003 and 2010, when I became curious about skate brands, logos and clothing.

Those brands always had incredible graphics like Senate, Mindgame, K2, England Clothing, Second Regime. I started wondering if this was something I could do. So I went to a college open day and found out they had a graphic design course. One look around at what people were making instantly sold me.

Right there and then, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do. I can still remember that feeling like it was yesterday — a clear vision of what I wanted to create and become.

2. How did you get started and what was the biggest hurdle you overcame?

Like a lot of designers, I started interning at as many studios and companies as I could until I landed a full-time job. The biggest hurdle was learning how to effectively solve a client brief. You learn the tools, but the real challenge is staying consistent with the outcome and not getting frustrated when a client doesn’t respond to your work the way you hoped.

I can safely say that’s now in the past.

3. What’s been your most successful way of getting clients?

Honestly, just doing really great work that your clients, studios and friends end up talking about you and refer you on to. Referrals have always been my strongest method.

Sharing my work online did well when I first went independent, but the leads weren’t always the right fit. Referrals consistently brought in the best work.

4. How do you get clients to stay with you and use you for more work?

I try to make the collaboration super smooth, and the work really strong so that they always want to keep things rolling. The relationship is just as important as the work itself.

If you make someone’s life easier, they’ll likely come back, or better yet, move into a retainer. It doesn’t always happen instantly, but most of my client projects do lead to additional work.

5. Do you ever have issues with clients paying late? How do you manage that?

I used to! But now I have a contract that requires either 50% upfront or 100% within 30 days, with a late payment fee built in. Once it’s signed, it’s binding.

Most of the time, because of what I charge and the calibre of founders I work with, they see what I do as a solid return on investment, so it rarely becomes an issue.

6. What does your typical work day look like?

My routine is fairly normal. I work with clients across the US, UK and EU, so I’ll occasionally shift my day earlier or later to match time zones.

Most days, I’m up around 8am. I shower, make a tea, have breakfast, and make sure I stretch before sitting down. I’ve learned the hard way that skipping it is a mistake by the end of the day. Then I spend 20–30 minutes browsing Savee, Cosmos and Muzli to keep my eye fresh and see what’s moving in the design world before diving into work. Sometimes I’ll post on X or schedule content if there’s time.

I’m quite old school with task management. I write my to-do list by hand, which helps me think clearly and commit to my priorities. I work through the list around any morning meetings, break for lunch, then it’s an afternoon of focused work, gym, a dog walk with my wife to decompress, and winding down with something on TV. Rinse and repeat.

It sounds simple, but after years of practice, I know it keeps me consistent. Things shift when I need longer breaks or time off, but this is generally what works well for me.

7. Any piece of advice/wisdom that you’d like to give the readers at This Design Life?

I always try to think back to my own struggles and what I’d say to myself if I were starting out again.

Enjoy experimenting. Learn the principles and get to know what you love most. The money can wait. If I’d focused on the financial side first, I wouldn’t have developed the taste I have now, and that taste is what’s really helped me stand out when it mattered.

Try not to live by trends. They come and go, and the designers who last the longest are the ones pushing themselves beyond what’s popular today.