About

Why choose design-is?

Pros

I’m a born and bred designer – since the earliest opportunity I’ve designed and studied design; following through from secondary school onto A-Level and Degree level education and a recipient of a coveted D&AD Yellow Pencil design award. Freelancing since my school days and employed in design positions since 2006, you can be sure I’ll deliver high quality service, and a high quality end result.

Cons

As I have a full time job, contact within normal ‘work hours’ is often restricted to email and the occasional phone call. Even though I respond very promptly in most cases, I understand this may be an issue for some clients. Also, I'm a generalist not a specialist, knowing a large amount about a wide range of design, print, and web topics, but not specialising in anything in particular.

Preferred clients

I’m happy to take on projects of all shapes and sizes. However, as a full-time designer by day and a freelancer only by evening and weekend, I often fit best with individuals, sole traders, and small–medium businesses who work in a fairly flexible way.

Being a generalist (not a specialist) fits into this client group well, allowing me to offer a full service across many items from design through to print, web hosting and SEO.

How I work

I’ll talk to you and find out what you need, then we’ll have a think about what I can do to help. Once we’ve agreed on a brief, I’ll produce some ideas and the fun starts. Throughout the process we will be in contact – No sales people or account managers will intervene to misinterpret your message or make excuses.

I’ll discuss the proposals, develop the designs, and deliver your result.

Have a browse through this site or get in touch to find out how I can help.

What is design?

Design:

– noun 1 a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of something before it is built or made.
2 the art or action of producing such a plan or drawing. 3 underlying purpose or planning: the appearance of design in the universe. 4 a decorative pattern.

– verb 1 conceive and produce a design for. 2 plan or intend for a purpose.

Practically, design has many meanings – it can range from a form of art, produced within commercial constraints, to a new mechanism for the latest hybrid car engine. Throughout all interpretations of the word runs one constant – Problem solving.
Design is creative problem solving. What can I solve for you?

More about me

Having discovered my passion for design at an early age, I graduated from The University of Leeds’ School of Design with an honours degree in Graphic Design having won a prestigious D&AD Yellow Pencil Design Award.

Since moving back to London and breaking into the industry I have held positions at print, creative, and publishing houses, whilst developing my web skills in my spare time. I have recently become the principle print designer at Mac games publisher, Feral Interactive. I am responsible for the design and artworking of all printed items and the odd digital/web work. This includes corporate and consumer marketing pieces, e-newsletters, sales brochures, DVD labels, sleeves and boxes, disk icons, folder backgrounds and the occasional in-game graphic or screen. Outside work I focus on freelance projects for clients ranging from sole traders and small businesses to Members of Parliament producing both printed and web based implementations of design solutions.

If you have a project for me to work on, get in touch and we can take it from there. If you are here because
I’ve contacted you, I hope you enjoy my site and my work.

Also, feel free to visit dougbarned.co.uk, my personal & professional portfolio site & blog.