From a very young age, I knew I always wanted to follow some sort of artistic career. I was interviewed for a Fine Arts course in Southampton. Half way through the meeting, the Head of Graphics walked in and said "have you ever considered a graphic design course?". I hadn't even considered 'communication design', but as soon it was explained to me, I was hooked. Graphic design is a wonderful mix of creativity, technical skill, and need an eye for detail and a love of typography. Southampton was a wonderful time when I was studying, unwittingly, the college course of my dreams.

Within three months of leaving college, I started my first design job. Scalpels (always 10a blades), Rotring pens, layout pads, copy mark up, Letraset, airbrushing, bromides, Cow Gum, acetate and rubilith (foreign words these days, but I loved every minute and aspect of it).

When 'puters came in in the late 80s, that mix of creativity and technicality reached another level. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

The rest is history. I've been designing for thirty years, creating work for scientific publishers, educational publishers, the theatre and entertainment industries, childrens' book publishers and local businesses.

After being made redundant in 2014, I bit the bullet and started my own design business. Haven't looked back since.