martingreeves.com

A year of traveling reinforced the idea that variety is the spice of life.  This mix has since included commercial freelancing (Echo Brand Design, Square 44, Brand Tonic, Embrace Brands, Blue Marlin, Parker Williams), university lecturing (which, ironically, was a huge learning experience), developing my own property and investigating my artistic tendencies through sculpture, furniture design and creation. 

www.shaftskinz.com

Having developed the concept of Shaft Skinz (decorative and protective sleeves for the customisation of golf club shafts), I now find myself on the steepest learning curve of my career.  From believing I had a good design for the golf market, I now have an even greater understanding of a number of new fields including logistics, sales, marketing, time management and accountancy in a small business. 

My work takes me overseas frequently and I have dealings with contacts around the world.  I have developed a truly global perspective.

My wife and I seized on the opportunity of a lifetime to travel around the world for twelve months visiting 14 countries in Australasia and the Americas.  We had a fantastic experience and particularly enjoyed the natural beauty of New Zealand, the South Western United States and the South American Andes. 

We anticipated being most challenged by the language barrier presented us in South America and took Spanish classes in Mexico to combat this.  We were afforded almost 6 months to practice ‘in the field’ in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

There is no substitute for experiencing different cultures in person - this year of intense experiences has become part of my very fabric.

www.bluemarlinbd.com

From joining in 2002 I was heavily involved in building the ‘Structural’ department from a one-man operation to a team of 11 turning over £800K in the first full year.  My background as a strong all-round designer and attentiveness to detail led me into the running of some of the more major projects. 

My design of winning concepts for several clients including PZCussons (Imperial Leather) gave me ownership of some major accounts.  These I intensively managed through to launch. 

I also planned and built the model-making workshop and was responsible for responding to applications for employment as well as all hardware and software (Mac platform) in the London ‘Innovation Centre’.

www.designbridge.com

Two years at Design Bridge gave me a contrasting view of a brand design consultancy.  I flourished under the more professional (ISO 9001 accredited) environment where systems were in place to assist the designers.  Greater autonomy was afforded me and I thrived within the framework that continued to push my contact with clients in the creative context. 

I quickly added the CGU National Cricket League Trophy and Lapin Kulta Lager Founts to my portfolio alongside successful pitch presentations to the Dove and Lypsyl brands, of which I had creative control. 

My role broadened to developing the skills of junior designers and drawing the best from middleweights and contemporaries on larger projects.

www.tinhorse.com

From the earliest days I had regular input to all aspects of the design process in the Structural Packaging Design Consultancy environment.  This included presenting the credentials of the company to prospective clients, collecting briefs, brainstorming, concept generation, 3D modeling in a variety of materials and on the computer as well as liaising with clients and their suppliers in an effort to bring concepts to reality.  In the latter role I was seen very much as the guardian of the design. 

I also spent 10 weeks in New York making contacts with potential clients.  This work produced 6 new business meetings and offered a valuable window into the front end of the business.