About

As an industry leader and advocate of design and communication principles, my story begins as a classically trained Graphic Designer and Branding Specialist from England. At the junior professional level, I cut my teeth at a high-energy design studio in London during the early 90s.

As the VP, of Creative Service for Presh Marketing Solutions, I coach my team to think outside of the box, without overcooking the design. A core part of that coaching is ecouraging the use of whitespace to let the design breathe.

The key to communication, in design, is understanding the story you are trying to tell. What is the goal? What is the outcome? Without knowing the basic information, communication breaks down before it even starts. Understanding the story allows for fluid communication and an efficient design process.

A brand’s identity is how your customer perceives and experiences your business offering. It’s how customers are able to decipher you from your competitors. It’s what makes them feel safe choosing your services. Bottom line – a brand’s identity is essential to success and customer recognition. When encountering a bad experience, you instinctively become reluctant to engage with that brand again. First and continued impressions are everything. Everything from a product purchased on your website to a simply driving by the front of your business and everything in between. The first ingredient to a solid brand identity is consistency and honesty. The worst thing a brand can do is offer something that they cannot deliver.

As a self-confessed addict of the beautiful game, I still play, watch, and coach soccer. My sons were successful collegiate soccer players, and my father was a professional player in England in the early 70s, so you could say that runs through his veins.

I look at soccer a little more philosophically these days. As a younger player – it was all about the spotlight, kind of like me as a young designer! I was more concerned with the pats on the back and the rewards, but these days, my sense of achievement from coaching is very much in line with the pleasure of mentoring a young designer to think differently and still be expressive. I like to mentor them to think as a team player, be available, be open to change, and be excitable – yet realistic. The bicycle kick is not always on, sometimes all it needs is a simple tap with the side of the foot to roll it over the line… however, always be looking for the expressive bicycle kick! and yes, I love my metaphors!