Future Decoded is Microsoft’s biggest UK event of the year, attracting thousands of business leaders, journalists and technology fans to the ExCeL in London across two days.

This was a mammoth 6 month, all-encompassing project, which saw just under 10,000 attendees over an action packed 2 days.

It’s focus for this year was centred around AI for good, and preparing businesses for the future - before anyone else. This included various experiences and keynotes - to empower, inform and inspire its attendees.

Experiences included a dramatic AR centrepiece, showing how Microsoft AI is pivotal for massive global issues climate change, and extinction of animals. We also built an interactive timeline experience, celebrating innovators of AI. This included building a set from scratch for Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing and Margaret Hamilton. We also created an a juice bar experience within the huge networking area, which scanned the users face using Microsoft Azure AI technology and recommended a mixed juice based on their feelings and mood. All were massive successes.

In my role as lead graphic designer across the project, I was heavily involved in everything from the branding, spacial planning and design, experiential design, various animated pieces, set design, and the vast amount of large scale printed collateral. A particular favourite was the huge lenticular wall. Microsoft partnered with over 80 businesses, all of which we designed spaces for, including experts in their various fields.

Another stand out for me was the amazing keynotes from industry experts, including astronauts Tim Peake and Helen Sharman.

I remember when the doors opened to the public for the first time after so many months of work and planning, and seeing a queue of people as far as my eye could see waiting to come in. It was a truly emotional moment and a project I’m very proud of.

Awards:

Campaign Experience Awards
Silver - Best Exhibition Experience

Conference Awards
Silver - Best Corporate Event
Silver - Best Conference by an Events Agency

Adidas Originals and JD Sports collaborated with music artist Kano for ‘3 Bar Superstar’, a campaign to help find undiscovered talent.

Kano gave his latest track ‘Pan Fried’, removing 3 bars from the track and inviting the JD audience to drop their own 3 bars in its place. Submissions were supported by AI-enabled posters and videos to give the applicant a taste of the full rockstar experience.

We built a bespoke recording studio experience in major shopping centres such as Manchester’s Arndale Centre pictured here. The experience contained booths so the general public could record their own lines and enter the competition.

Kano’s ambition was to search, celebrate and shine the light on emerging talent via the 3-bar gap opportunity. The winning entry will win a recording session to be mentored by Kano himself.

The thinking behind the opportunity is to allow entrants to be heard as the new voices of today’s culture, as Kano references the importance of “the role that music can play in terms of giving young people a voice. I was that young kid growing up and interested in music and found that it was a way to express myself.”

The campaign was part of adidas Originals’ celebration of 50 years of the iconic Superstar – a shoe which has transcended time and culture worldwide – and follows adidas’ Originals’ global message ‘Change is a Team Sport’.

Awards:

Cannes Lions
2 Bronze Lions  

We helped American Express stage an immersive experience themed around "powering up" and energising for the day ahead.

Taking place in Exchange Square beside Liverpool Street Station, London, it brought to life the concept that the more you chase your personal or professional goals, the more you need someone to have your back. This reflects "Powerful Backing", a global brand platform launched by American Express to highlight the services it provides for its cardmembers and business customers.

The experience, soundtracked by DJ and broadcaster Maya Jama, featured three zones. Visitors were invited to "get zen" in the Japanese forest so they can feel a little more restored after a long day in the office. They could then dance their way through the neon jungle to get pumped and energised for the week ahead - experiencing a thrill similar to getting hold of pre-sale tickets to a show, before finishing up with a power boost in the power-up zone, ready to "own the day – or night".

Microsoft ConnectEd was a digital event with on-demand content to help connect technology and education in new and exciting ways.

ConnectEd explores how advances in technology can help improve student outcomes; how digital tools can empower students to take more control over their own education; and how we can harness technology to create engagement, connection and improve wellbeing.

We created an immersive field trip in the North American forests with science, natural history and environmental broadcaster, Liz Bonnin. The field trip has was aligned with the National Curriculum, so can also be used in classrooms.

With Covid-19 ruining everyone’s plans for 2020, Microsoft wanted to give something back to its UK employees to thank them for all their work over such a hard year.

We helped them by creating a bespoke animated advent calendar of events leading up to a grand finale virtual event. Each animated present on the website was opened day by day, revealing a gift - focusing on wellbeing and fun. Some of these included virtual fitness classes with Joe Wicks, cooking classes and recipe cards with Nadia Hussain, wreath making with Simon Lycett, and Microsoft themed colouring kits etc.

Microsoft employees were also given £50 each to donate to charity, and other fundraising activities, all in all raising £166k.

At the end of the festive fourtnight, “The Big Wrap Up Show” finale was unveiled. We broadcast an epic virtual show live hosted by Richard Ayoade, with a whole host of entertainment from celebrities. Including a quiz with Jimmy Carr, Taskmaster challenges with Alex Horne, and performances by musical superstars Craig David and Paloma Faith.

The show went down a storm and was great to be a part of. 2,368 employees tuned in for the show (plus their households), resulting in the most attended Microsoft UK employee event ever.

Branding and UX design for SAP AR Arena.

SAP Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Mannheim, Germany. It is primarily used for ice hockey and handball, and is the home arena of the Adler Mannheim ice hockey club and the Rhein-Neckar Löwen handball club. The arena has a capacity of up to 15,000 people. More than a hundred concerts and convention events are hosted at the arena annually. The SAP Arena is one of the largest in Germany and one of the most high-tech in Europe. The arena is named after its sponsor SAP.

We brought racegoers together again to live The Life Artois at Royal Ascot, during the Covid-19 pandemic. We created premium, safe and hygienic customer experience, and increased brand awareness across Ascot.

We created a Perfect Pour Bar with 9-step ritual. Served in an iconic chalice, Stella draught masters taught racegoers how to serve Stella Artois to an exceptional standard, before standing back, to allow racegoers to attempt the perfect pour for themselves - one person at a time. Racegoers then returned to their table, where they were delivered their perfect pour by a member of bar staff.

A shareable photo opportunity against a bespoke freestanding backdrop, with roses and ivy draped over ensured brand exposure beyond the site and onto social media. This linked with a photography competition on Instagram to win a Stella Artois hamper, and initiatives to encourage Stella’s alcohol-free beer to responsible drivers through tokens and a general tie-in with Drink Aware.

Other collateral included printed menus on easels using jockeys silks/ race card stylings to distinguish each flavour, and postcards with discount codes to send to family and friends post-event.

Microsoft Bett is an annual educational event at the ExCeL centre in London. It welcomes over 30,000 students and educators and is a part of the UK’s biggest Ed:Tech event.

Together with their global network of educators, Bett and Microsoft help deliver inspiring content that shares next generation ideas and innovative, technology-led classroom practices in the UK and around the world.

Their educator-led sessions will showcase the ideas, practices and technologies that have the most impact on educational outcomes, along with inspiring concepts to help develop 21st century skills and find solutions to global challenges.

With a fundamental concept of “permission to play” we got to work creating a fun, engaging and immersive brand and experience for kids, teachers and partners.

We built a Nasa-made STEM, mixed reality experience, showing the generation of tomorrow that the sky is no limit. We also created a Minecraft made real-world experience which promoted creativity, collaboration and problem solving. We also showed off the latest devices and tech - for every school’s budget. There were numerous talks in the basketball court themed theatre, and even a training academy breakout room.

A definite highlight with the kids was the “Quiz on the court” basketball experience, where the user was asked educational questions, faced with two answers and had to slam dunk a ball in the correct net.

The event was another huge success, and showed the effectiveness of play-based learning.

Awards:

Campaign Experience Awards
Gold - Exhibition Experience
Silver - Brand Experience B2B

The Drum Awards
Winner - Brand Experience at a Large Scale Event

Microsoft's TechHer programme was created to provide women with an opportunity to learn valuable technical and professional skills to help further develop their careers.

Through a series of events and learning opportunities, TechHer provides a platform, community and opportunities to help women create new connections, learn from others and explore careers in tech. TechHer has been designed for women at all stages of their career, no matter their background.

i designed a brand influenced by colours of the Suffragette movement. It works on a grid system that makes each piece of design different and expandable. There are 3 shapes which represent the core beliefs the brand is built on - triangle for pioneering and leading the way, square for a fierce uncompromising solid attitude, and a circle for inclusiveness and community. These shapes are connected together showing the connections the members will make and the hive mind of support and like-minded thoughts.

Quaterly brochures to promote Manchester Cathedral’s events programme and reflect the diversity its cultural offer.

The juxtaposition of events provided the inspiration for the design. Using a diagonal, graphic device accompanied with a contemporary typeface we gave the summer events programme a fresh, progressive image, positioning the cathedral on Manchester’s cultural map, whilst simultaneously giving a reverential nod to the Cathedral’s rich heritage.

I also designed various pullout banners, posters, and flyers for the cathedral. 

Purina Beyond Terrafertil make natural, organic, plant-based foods and healthy snacks for pets.

We used watercolours, handmade textures, a handcrafted illustration style, and a printed typeface to convey the natural ingredients in the food, echoing the products mission statement and purpose.

London Tech Week AI Summit - Where AI Transforms Business

AI will disrupt the way we build and run businesses, but if you’ve got the knowledge to harness the disruptive forces it can do so in a way that works for you.

London Tech Week sees some of the world’s top companies descend on the capital to give talks and showcase the technology they have created.

We designed a produced a headline stand and group of experiences at the 5-day Summit - all showing off innovations in AI and tech.

This included:

Microsoft - An AI ice cream bar in the centre which was a huge hit. It scanned the users face and recommended combinations of ice cream flavours for them to try - powered by Microsoft Azure.

Easyjet - “Look and Book” experience, allowing the user to book a flight using just a photo from Instagram.

Marmite - “Taste face” a fun experience playing on the brands love it or hate it positioning and using facial recognition when trying marmite.

Knor - “Eat Your Feed” - an experience which scans the users Instagram account and provides recipes based on the photos of food it discovers.

Confused.com - AI School of Tech experience.

A fun, rewarding and educational project for us and the attendees!

How do you celebrate the previous years achievements thoughout the pandemic, and bring a huge company together whilst you’re still in it?

That was the task we were given by Microsoft UK. We decided to put on a live magazine style chat show event which we broadcast to all their UK employees in a celebration of togetherness and thanks thought Teams Live. We roped in celebrity host presenter Amanda Byram and comedian Rob Beckett, who joined Microsoft UK CEO, Clare Barclay and COO Soraya Scott in delivering a show to remember.

The branding was threaded throughout the show and all touchpoints around the event, representing moving forward in the same direction. We broadcast and produced content and motion graphics for an hour. The show included included celebrating the companies achievements throughout a tough year, delivering awards to its amazing staff, talking about the future. A guided tour of the new office by comedian Rob Beckett added much humour as he ran about meeting and talking to staff in different departments, with a live link and communication between himself and the hosts in the studio.

Awards were delivered through chats and a special performance by Afishal and live singer, with motion graphics and music throughout which was well received by all.

I worked extensively on Transmission's own brand, image, content and marketing collateral.

This includes website design, various animations, direct mailers, copywriting, illustration and character development, business cards, stationary, posters, photography and presentations etc

At the heart of all the communications, we portraid our ethos of 'tuning in' to the client, the importance of being on the same wavelength, and the beautiful things as an outcome of this. This informed all of our design decisions. From the identity, copywriting and mailer, to our animations, and throughout the website with its interactive tuning knob navigation.  

I have extensive NHS experience, having now worked with 7 different Trusts and CCG's. Bringing often quite complex and challenging pieces of communication to life, engaging and helping connect with citizens, staff and stakeholders alike.

Examples of things I've worked on:

• Working with CCGs, local authorities and NHS Trusts on transformational programmes
• Designing and laying out consultation documents,
• Five Year Forward Views and Cases for Change
• Designing, illustrating and producing animations in regard to complex issues around integrated care
• Creating engaging infographics to bring impact to facts and figures around local healthcare landscapes
• Developing branding identities for transformation programmes to unite partner agencies
• Rolling out a suite of materials to be used both digitally and in hard copy to engage with stakeholders.

A personal project where I illustrate famous guitarist’s axes, and explore their back stories and rock n roll history.

Featuring:

Jimmy Page - ‘59 Gibson Les Paul ‘number one’

Jonny Marr - Signature Fender Jaguar

Keith Richards - 50’s Fender Telecaster ‘Micawber’

Angus Young - Signature Gibson SG

Jimi Hendrix - Signature Gibson Flying V

John Lennon - ‘64 Rickenbacker 325 Capri

David Gilmour - Signaure Fender Stratocaster

Microsoft Envison is a platform where business leaders can engage and learn from one another as they navigate change. The series brings together thought leaders, industry executives, and members of our combined leadership team for in-depth discussions on the topics that are top-of-mind for business decision-makers today.

We branded and delivered streamed content and virtual events for the series, covering topics such as environmental sustainability and data as a superpower.

A standout 2 day virtual event we produced and broadcast was hosted by Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, with talks around driving the UK forward on the road to recovery, post COVID - utilising technology across healthcare, sports, up-skilling, and diversity and inclusion.

I also worked previously on the boarder Envision: The Tour branding, pre-covid and developed a best practice guidelines for physical events.

Transmission were invited by Staffordshire University to create a ‘Show and Tell’ brochure for their end of year show which captured the essence of its Art, Media and Design faculty, its students and the work produced over the year.

We reflected the diverse collection of stories and experiences with a vibrant and energetic layout to celebrate the achievement of existing students at the university whilst simultaneously helping attract potential students. 

Places for People, one of the largest property and leisure management, development and regeneration companies in the UK approached us to brand a complex arm of their business. We created 'Living+', who provide support services to more than 6,500 people across the UK. 

We went around the country speaking to staff and customers and very quickly came to the conclusion that the current communications did not reflect the company, the staff or the customers at all.

We wanted to capture the stories of individual customers and what they were gaining from PFP. We also wanted to reflect the hard working, and caring staff.

Working with photographer Tim Max Hetherington, we captured real, unstaged imagery, often in a candid, unstaged style. We then treated the imagery giving a modern edge on what is quite a corporate, stock shot market place. 

Working with Brian Cannon of Microdot Creative (creator of the legendary 90's Oasis and The Verve album sleeves), I assisted in designing 2 album covers. 

The first pictured here is London based electronic rock band, Archive's album 'With us until you're dead'. We created our own narrative based on the album's title, about a girl obsessed with her ex, scraping messages into different surfaces. These messages which we did by hand and photographed, are song titles, and makeup a booklet to go with the packaging. 

The second is Cian Ciaran (Super Furry Animals) debut solo album 'Outside in', which features photography of Cian's eyes through his pupils! 

An established property development and investment team wanted us to create a consistent and coherent identity system to accommodate new companies within their rapidly expanding group.

It was vital to communicate the vast experience, knowledge, and expertise the team had to offer through a stylish, professional and trustworthy brand image.

I created a folder containing a corporate brochure, and 7 different inserts displaying each sector of property the company offer in their portfolio. The brochure and folder feature foil blocked logos and subtle spot varnishing. 

I also designed an identity for a new arm of the business, Cole Waterhouse. 

Greater Manchester Talent Match is a Big Lottery-funded programme bringing together the private, public and voluntary sectors to support young people aged 18-24 who have been out of employment, education or training for twelve months or more and who need extra support to help them along their pathway to work.

They needed an identity, website, stationary, clothing and promotional pieces of print. We came up with the strapline 'Shaping journeys towards employment for young people'. We then took this literally into the logo, creating a bespoke typeface using limited shapes. The result is a youthful, fresh and striking identity, which reflects GM Talent Match's ethos of shaping and guiding. 

For International Women’s Day, Momentum wanted to thank their female UK staff for all that they do, and show they care about each individual person.

I illustrated our 90 UK female staff, transforming them into Wonder Women. Each were given a superpower based on their strongest personal trait and printed onto Polariod style cards for them to keep on their desks. We did a surprise desk drop in the office along with a note from the UK President. I also designed the companies diversity & inclusion initiative logo, Balance, a detail of which I used on the headband of the Wonder Women illustrations, and finished off a Momentum styled shield.

A high flying, Jersey based entrepreneur seeked a memorable identity to launch her new, simple to use ‘self-help’ business cookbook.

The solution was literally ‘easy as pie’. Taking the iconic business image of a pie chart, we commissioned a professional baker to translate this idea into pastry; successfully communicating the client’s ethos in a thought provoking manner.

We delivered the identity, photography, 175 page book, and website.

I was asked to design a poster for Forever Manchester Week to be auctioned to raise money for the charity.

The poster features an illustrated interpretation of infamous Salfordian punk poet, John Cooper Clarke, and his poem 'I wanna be yours'. The poster was signed by the man himself and auctioned along with other pieces of art from Manchester based creatives.