Associate Design Director

Dear DEPT team,

Firstly, thank you for considering my application. Having freelanced for Byte NY and your London office for a few years I'm very excited by the opportunity to join the team properly!
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Experience
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I have 8 years + of experience in the creative industry, freelancing for design and advertising agencies, as well as through my own business, Farside Studio. I have been lucky enough to work with global brands including Reddit, Spotify and Google, and have consulted startups to refine their products and raise millions in funding. 
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After graduating with a 1st Class Honours degree in Graphic Design and Communication from the University of Leeds I have lived and worked in New York, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and now sunny London.

Creative Process

Running my own business has honed my understanding of sales and marketing, managing client relationships, as well as the importance of rigorous creative process when managing a team. I believe that solid systems ensure creativity is scalable and most importantly profitable.

Through freelancing and consulting for a large variety of agencies I have also been able to see the good, the bad and the ugly of managing teams and creative development. It also means I am able to hit the ground running, quickly fitting within a variety of teams and tasks.
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Mindset
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I'm a thinker as much as a creator. I enjoy understanding how design can apply to the entire customer journey. I thrive in roles that require strategic thinking across multiple touch points, from motion to brand.

Building my own business has taught me how to be resourceful when fighting for work and bringing in clients. It's also forced me to be diligent and self-motivated.
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Team
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Within my own business I regularly contract other designers, developers and photographers to deliver projects. I have also overseen more junior creatives within agency environments. This has taught me project planning skills including managing timelines and budgets. I am very excited by the opportunity to lead and nurture a larger team.
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Why You?

To be honest I really enjoyed working with the Byte team in the past. As a freelancer, I always felt respected and cared for, despite not being a permanent member.

This opportunity would be great for me to push my creativity and nurture talent around me. I would leverage the opportunity to push what's possible with creative tech, particularly in the areas of VR/AR.

References

Please reach out to Jahfre-Colbert (Associate Creative Director at DEPT) and Rachel Caires (VP Design at DEPT Creative US & partner at DEPT®). I have worked with both of them directly so they will have a good sense of my ability and attitude.
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Thanks for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you!

Rob