Get to know Ryan… the man behind the designs

Based down in our Bromsgrove office, Ryan our Senior Designer has been with Platform81 for 7 years this month, so we wanted to shine a spotlight on one of the more ‘behind the scenes’ and mysterious members of our team and let you get to know the man behind our designs.

How long have you been a designer for?

I’ve been a designer for 12 years now. This month I’ll have been a designer at P81 for 7 years!

How did you start out as a designer?

When I was a child, I always loved drawing and painting so when it came to leaving school, I knew I wanted to get into design. I studied Art & Design and Graphics at college and once I left, I got a job at Cadbury’s in the print department. I enjoyed print, but I was much more interested in the design side. I used to get involved and do bits for the design team, so they kindly paid for me to do a HND in Graphic Design and then it all went from there…

What do you enjoy most about your role at Platform81?

I love helping businesses succeed by working on their visual identity, ranging from branding to print and web. I also love getting paid to do something that I enjoy and is a hobby!

Platform81 provides a real variety of clients to work with too, one day I could be working on a project for a premiership football team, the next it could be for an interior designer. It’s always different!

What is your favourite thing to design?

I really enjoy logo design! I love the challenge of trying to come up with something clever and original from scratch.

Which company’s branding (client or non-client) do you really like?

My favourite logo is Fedex. It’s simple, clever and the use of negative space is genius!

In your opinion what makes good branding?

I think a good logo should be memorable, timeless and original (like Fedex). It shouldn’t just follow the latest trends.

It’s also important to keep your identity looking fresh and up to date and easily transferable across digital and printed media.

In your opinion what makes a good website design?

Something clean and simple with good UX. The design needs to be focused on getting the user to relevant parts of the website quickly. It’s also key to refresh your website design more often than you would think. Web design is always evolving and it’s important to keep up with trends and changes to stay competitive.

My favourite is Nike. It’s clean, simple and has a good use of typography and imagery and they’re always making small, subtle updates.

What is your favourite client website?

I’d definitely say the recent Wolves site we did for their Hospitality & Events division. It was a real challenge from a UX point of view, and I am really pleased with the end result.

What advice would you give somebody wanting to become a designer?

Do it. It’s a fun and satisfying job. Always believe in yourself, but dedication is key.