Danielle Smurthwaite: Illustrator & Graphic Designer / Director in Lincoln, LIN

Illustrator & Visual Content Creator. Providing Illustration and Graphic Design Services, Creating stunning, intentional design for worldwide clients. Alongside this I design and sell a range of Organic and Vegan friendly graphic T-shirts combining my love of fashion and illustration.

Illustrator and Self Published Children’s Author, 42 page paperback book available on Amazon with the website www.theunicornroom.com creating a platform to promote my book and the characters.

Sole designer in charge of creating the logo and branding, web design concept, promotional flyers, business cards, social media graphics and weekly newsletters to subscribers. Within its first month the website had over 16,000 users with over 60,000 page views and was even mentioned in a tweet from Lord Alan Sugar.

Creative Buzz | Designing for internal and external companies creating brochures, flyers, business cards, website concepts, landing pages, logos and branding. Creating social media content as well as marketing campaigns via newsletters. Clients included Notts County FC. Windsor & Wales | British made clothing and footwear company. Graphic Designer for the branding and visuals, creating engaging and visually appealing editorial layouts and copy for the footwear launch and website. Creating garment spec sheets for factory manufacturing and designing signature graphic prints for bespoke lining fabric . Designing the Point of Sale material for shop concession along with designing branded packaging.

Designing Point of Sale material for all monthly promotions for Booze Buster, Whittalls Wines, Simply Drinks, Nisa and Oddbins stores across the UK. Liaising with printing companies to ensure artwork was printed correctly and delivered to deadline. Creating branded promotions and competitions for Cadburys, Carlsberg and Fosters products. Creating engaging social media campaigns and internal company newsletters.

Designing social media graphics promoting competitions, new products and special offers. Designing graphics and content for monthly newsletter to subscribers along with web content management and Adwords management and analysis.

Contacting new clients and liasing with existing clients about the brand, new products and current promotions. Liasing with TV stylist Faye Sawyer and journalists to raise brand awareness, resulting in the product being advertised on ‘This Morning’ and Gok Wans ‘How To Look Good Naked’. I designed the Trade show stand and exhibited the Esbelt at Moda, Paris 2009 and Moda, Birmingham 2010. I created advertising artwork for trade magazines, including Lingerie Buyer, Bridal Buyer and Womenswear Buyer. Creating catalogue artwork for retail stores Next and Simply Yours.

After presenting my business plan to the Princes Trust Panel I was awarded a loan and mentoring to set up my own business. Creating my own fashion label I performed all tasks from design ideas right through to production and then sales. Apparel Design ideas, Pattern Cutting, Seamstress and Manufacture, Web Design, Social Networking, Marketing and Brand Awareness, Sales and Customer Service.

Assisting the main designer in ideas right through to production. I was also involved in the running of the boutique. This included customer service, merchandising, stock sourcing and meeting clients. My designs were sold as a limited edition collection In Topshop Leeds and Topshop Birmingham throughout 2004-2005.