I‘m Jon, Designer and Design Director with a passion for astute thinking executed clearly and beautifully. I have more than twenty years’ experience with a demonstrated history of design and marketing and extensive experience in art direction, advertising, branding, creative strategy and graphic design.
I’m a Yorkshireman based in Hertfordshire and I’ve spent most of my career in London. In addition to a couple of years in New Zealand, I’ve also designed, overseen, art directed and delivered projects across the UK, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Ghana, India, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, the UAE and the US.
I’m a big believer in ideas. Substance is essential to delivering successful and engaging work. Design can try to hide a lack of thought but it will only get you so far, while an idea can be lost if the design isn’t right — but when the foundations for both are solid it can inspire and go way beyond the expectations.
I’ve delivered strategic long term branding solutions, visual identities and marketing campaigns wherever I’ve been. In addition to successful brands for luxury and high end residential, commercial and mixed-use projects, I’ve also produced campaigns and identities for Apple tech partners, pharmaceutical clients, logistical and construction companies, financial services, FMCG and the hospitality industries.
I love seeing finished work, exploring as many creative avenues as I can, nurturing younger talent, finding inspiration in unexpected places, sharing and pushing ideas, pensively stroking my beard and standing up when my watch tells me to.
Whether working individually, leading, or as part of a team, I love what I do and relish the challenge each project brings, crafting high standard, concept-driven work whilst maintaining a clear understanding of the brief and budget to deliver results of which everyone involved can be proud.
Projects
- Hanover BondOVERVIEW Situated at the heart of Mayfair in one of London’s oldest squares, Hanover Bond is a collection of 80 luxury residences integrated with and serviced by Mandarin Oriental hotels. Created by independent super-prime developer Clivedale, these exquisite boutique homes were designed by renowned architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners with interiors by Danish superstar designer Thomas Juul-Hansen. BRIEF To originate a name and create materials for investment procurement and internationa
- GRTOVERVIEW The Guinness Partnership is one of the largest providers of affordable housing and care in England. Originally founded as a charitable trust in 1890 by Edward Guinness, founder of the Guinness Brewery, to help homeless people in Dublin, the company now builds and provides affordable homes with care and support services for over 150 local authorities throughout the UK. Charging rental rates at significantly lower prices than private landlords, they also build developments for private sal
- 11 East 68th Street – The MarquandOVERVIEW Designed in 1913 by Herbert Lucas in Beaux-Arts Revival style, 11 East 68th Street — The Marquand, is a New York City landmark, originally named after renowned American financier Henry Gurdon Marquand, one of the original founders of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This classic American address sits between Central Park and Madison Avenue and was refurbished in its centenary year by New York developers HFZ Capital, known for their sensitive restoration of classic, often landmarked res
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Projects credited in
- Harwell CampusHarwell is a successful science campus near Oxford with an excellent reputation and a great story to tell. The challenge was to help attract international science organisations to lease its commercial space, while redefining its vision and ambition as a world-leading science facility. The aim was to create a more emotionally engaging narrative for Harwell, that brings to life a sense of collective endeavour.
Work history
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Design DirectorJ2
- London, United KingdomFull Time
Recruited and appointed Design Director of the London studio for J2, property marketing specialists since 2001, I was tasked with building a team and raising the level of craft and creativity. In addition to this, the London studio also planned to expand beyond the property market.
Based in Bushey, Hertfordshire, the company had opened its Regent Street office three years before I joined, but struggled to attract and retain permanent creative talent. In a little over a year, the creative team in London grew to six. With this incredibly talented group the studio’s output accounted for almost half the company’s annual billing. I was especially proud of this successful year, in which work was produced not only for the company’s staple income of property, but also after successfully breaking in other sectors, beautiful brands and campaigns for clients in entertainment technology, vehicle-leasing, restaurant and hospitality.
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Design DirectorWordsearch
- London, United KingdomFull Time
While Design Director here I ran projects across the UK, the US, Europe, Africa and Asia. Based in London I spent a lot of time in the US as well, meeting with and presenting to clients in New York, running workshops in Houston, placemaking in Tampa plus planning and art directing photoshoots in LA.
In addition to leading and producing beautiful work for some of the largest international developments across multiple platforms, I took huge satisfaction mentoring other team members and watching them flourish into excellent, accomplished designers. Managing and planning the studio workload was also integral to the role and accounting for multiple time zones from Australia to LA made it a challenging but rewarding experience, liaising directly with our offices in Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Singapore to brief, oversee and deliver their work
Skills
- Graphic Design
- Graphic Communication
- Identity Design
- Brand Identity
- Brand Architecture
- Web Design
- Interactive Design
- Campaign Advertising
- Print Campaigns
- Bespoke Design
Education
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Bachelor of Arts (BA) Norwich University of the arts
- Norwich, United Kingdom