Every business has a deep desire to be heard, seen, and understood, just like the people behind them.
"Alex, you're not listening to me!"
This has followed me from school reports, agency directors to my own clients. I've always been driven to provide solutions before understanding the problem.
Starting out in 1995, the internet was about to transform everything, ensuring the only constant in my career would be change. My world had been analogue, focused on the craft of design: Letraset type and rubylith logos. As I moved to bigger agencies, our focus shifted as global accounts brought global awards. We spent weekends pursuing the "Big Idea," looking for inspiration everywhere. But we missed the true source: the human behind the business. I was so caught up in seeking external answers that I failed to understand the founder and the passion that drove them.
“Everything changed when I learned to ask questions and truly listen.”
I began to understand my client, the people they'd inspired, and the customers who found solutions in their work. By learning to ask and listen, I learnt to understand, clarify, and define; the answers became instinctive. Solutions were no longer achieved in isolation, but together with and from the source itself. The path had become clearer; not through hunches or educated opinion, but through a shared, instinctive understanding.
“I build heirloom brands that are as authentic, passionate, and relatable as the people behind them.”
My professional journey has led me to a clear purpose: to listen with intent and to truly understand first. The rewarding part is seeing that spark of clarity when a client's passion meets their purpose. It's a process much like therapy; a chance for a person to be truly heard and understood, not just by me, but also their staff and customers.
I believe we can build a more relatable world through honest, human-centered brands. Nothing can compete with the unique energy and passion a person brings to their purpose, and this is what truly inspires and unites us.
The imagery on my website, from vintage children's book illustrations to a photograph of me with my mother and sister in 1980, is a tribute to my own story. It's a nod to the books that first ignited my sense of wonder as a child, and a time when things were made to last, an era of heirlooms.
That passion for the big dreams of childhood is at the heart of what I do. I partner with people who are driven by that same creative spirit.