William Mills
Available

William Mills

Advertising, Design & InnovationLondon, United Kingdom
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William Mills
Available

William Mills

Advertising, Design & InnovationLondon, United Kingdom
About me
I am an advertising graduate specialising in entrepreneurship, design and innovation from South Wales, UK. In March 2017 I organised ‘Operation Snowflake’ at the London College of Communication; a user-led design initiative aimed at supporting student wellbeing and providing a design solution to undergraduate mental ill-health. I approached and collaborated with researchers, thinkers, creators, coders and builders from all fields of study in a SPRINT environment; mapping the student journey, eliminating obstacles and alleviating pressure points to provide effective student support. More importantly we asked how online platforms can be improved to support the growing numbers of students turning to them in lack of institutional systems. As a team we conducted ethnographic research and desk research as well as one-to-one interviews with students, parents, lecturers and student-support staff. We ran content analysis and sentiment analysis of student online data using the hashtag #operationsnowflake, accumulated and logged the findings to identify patterns amongst students, make connections and generate insights. Finally, we prototyped a iOS/Android mobile application that improved the organisation and provision of support, testing and receiving instant feedback based on the student end-user experience. Our solution was based on empathy and understanding the student as a user. I was lucky enough to speak about this project at a TED conference in London. ‘Redesigning University’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGiP6IV5vl4 I believe that I share the important need to design for people. As a result of creating and working on this project, I have developed a serious passion for human-centred design and continue to study and explore new design philosophies, applying this way of thinking to all problems; Last week I finished rebranding a music and arts festival in South Wales to better fit their target audience as well as redesigning my fathers small, independent cycle store to improve the experience for his customers. I am curious, inquisitive and therefore possess a great understanding of people and their lives. I do however understand that advertising has now become the de-facto driver of the internet and agencies can freely communicate across the world effortlessly and at zero cost. I have therefore maintained knowledge in tech-driven advertising business models and new media practices such as native advertising, programatic advertising, contextual and behavioural targeting. I find combining practical design skills with user-research is very important in a world where competitors are now always present. It isn’t enough to design a great, attractive campaign. It takes a combination of great research, planning and flawless execution to reach the right people at the right time with the right message. In 2016 I worked with the Nordic Music Export Programme, tasked with facilitating growth and development in the Scandinavian music sector. Utilising quantitative design research methods, I developed a strong knowledge of social media analytics, tracking growth, optimising campaigns and promoting audience-first thinking. In doing so we identified key words, points of intervention and redesigned our brand to fit the target audience. The 'Nordic Playlist' on Spotify now has over 8000 followers worldwide. Since then I have also reached out to Victor Saad, founder of the Experience Institute in Chicago and Lecturer in Design at Stanford. In October 2018 I was invited to a breakfast at the House of Parliament organised by Bauer Media and Mental Health First Aid England to celebrate the 'Where's Your Head At' campaign with Jeremy Corbyn. The campaign is calling on the government to make it a requirement by law for every university institution to have mental health first aiders in the UK. In September 2019 I am hoping to study MA/MSC Global Innovation Design at the Royal College of Art, London. The course aims to cultivate active designers and foster the kind of innovation that provides practical solutions to real-world issues. Therefore, I am trying to gain experience in a real design-driven environment.
Work history
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    Branding InternWestival Music & Arts Festival
     - Pembroke, UKInternship
    - Developed a brand identity that amplified Westival’s market differentiation. - Created a weekly marketing update of our progress and forwarded this to the festival manager who was based in Southeast Asia. - Assisted the marketing manager on the co-ordination of all release assets for marketing and promotion including press photos and press releases. - Acquired general office admin experience including printing, photocopying, answering phones, writing emails, taking minutes in meetings, booking artist travel and handling expenses.
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    SpeakerTEDxUAL
     - London, United KingdomFreelance
    - Delivered a powerful research presentation at a TED conference in Central Saint Martins based on undergraduate well-being that effectively challenged innovation and design, offering a positive student-centred future vision of University environments. - Designed presentation material using Keynote and Adobe Suite. - Maintained audience attention as well as encouraged participation of a live TED audience. - Regularly networked with researchers, charities and organisations and subsequently presented at other popular events and fundraisers throughout London.
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Skills
  • Human Behaviour
  • Quantitative Research
  • Qualitative Research
  • Data Analysis
  • Social Design
  • Pubic Speaking
  • Design Thinking
  • Innovation Strategy
  • Design Research
  • Entrepreneurial Mind-set