DAVID WILSON

I'm a graphic designer with an in-depth knowledge of brand development and implementation for design for print, screen and online. Given I've been helping organisations stand out for over 25 years, I feel I can now say I'm an expert in interpreting research findings and turning those into a creative output that connect you with like-minded people.

I've created brands for retailers like Tesco, Harveys and Vodafone, smaller businesses and the Further and Higher Educations sectors across the UK. I'd now say I have an in-depth knowledge of brand development and implementation for print, screen and online. I always aim to create authentic communications that tell the real story about the organisation or service. The result: you'll attract like-minded people.

When I was a child I struggled with reading and writing, turned out I am dyslexic (so if you find a typo in my writing it's because I've written it and not AI). I found communicating with images easier, so in the end I did a degree in Graphic Design. After being awarded a First Class Honours Degree I have reflected on my dyslexia and realised combining an effective visual with a great message helps to communicate more effectively; this is the reason I've work in the communications industry for over two decades.

I grew up in Norfolk, in the East of England, where my family owned a traditional Broads sailing cruiser: the Broads instilled in me a respect and concern for our environment. I recall at home as a child in the 1980s walking up to the village hall with all the glass and paper to recycle it, a time long before curb side recycling. I moved to Coventry for my degree in 1997 and rather liked the industrial multicultural feel of that city, a real contrast to Norfolk! I got a job in the city at a Design Consultants and after a few years met Rob Harrison - my business partner - and we started Glued in 2003.

Glued was born out of a pitch to De Montfort University to do a web and branding project: we won and then got a lot of referrals in the FE and HE sectors. Over the last 20+ years of Glued we've supported a wide range of organisations with a clear and honest approach to brand and marketing.

While in Coventry I was a Trustee of the LGBTQ+ charity that ran the city’s free Pride festival managing the marketing campaigns on a voluntary basis. You'll notice over the years I've got rather carried away with tattoos: I've branded myself and I certainly stand out! In 2023 my boyfriend and I decided to buy a lovely Victorian house in Worcester with a big garden. I now enjoy more of the country life gardening and doing my bit to support the wildlife. We've installed solar panels on our home so we're one our own journey to reducing our carbon footprint.

 

Notable projects:

• Northampton College: rebrand for a college merger. Created brand guidelines, digital assets and promotional marketing material.
• Purple Monster: creation of refreshed brand, writing guidelines and creating templates
• Core Clinics: brand refresh project, creating practical guidelines, templates for staff and ongoing marketing support.

Technical skills:

• Expert understanding of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite:
• Expert developer of templates for Microsoft Office Suite
• Extensive knowledge of automation and template build for Campaign Monitor and MailChimp
• WordPress, build and design of custom themes

Education:

• BA Hons Graphic Design – First Class degree, Coventry University

Continued professional development:

• Design Business Association workshop on Negotiation
• Sandler Training: Sales techniques, Networking techniques, Leadership programme
• Aston University 10 week Business Growth Programme

Volunteering:

• September 2016-2018: Trustee at LGBT charity Coventry Pride
• April 2016-2018: Helping Hands Community Project

Career history:

1999-2002: Haywood Design Consultants: Designer

2002-2003: Onbrand: Senior Designer

2003-present: Joint Owner Glued