About
Observations, lessons learnt and wisdom gratefully received.
Effective concepts and ideas are what I do best.
Taking information, experience and creativity and moulding them into effective solutions is both a passion and a delight.
My goal is to use those insights to bring value to clients.
I understand what makes business tick.
I've worked across many different industries. In the public and private sectors, in-house, agency and (some might say) out-house. I appreciate your commercial reality and I think that gives me a head start on delivering solutions that work long term.
I have enough perspective to know that your success is my success. I have every reason for you to do well and prosper.
I have the confidence to challenge preconceptions and encourage you to think differently.
A designer's duty is to offer the right solutions that will help your business grow and prosper.
Uncovering your bigger picture often brings the clarity that enables the exceptional. In today's competitive fluid markets the exceptional is what survives.
The What
I work with people, companies and organisations to solve their design challenges. By solving their creative problems their endeavours move forward, their objectives become reachable.
We build strong brands for start-ups from inception, giving them a competitive advantage and then working with them as they grow and flourish. Organisations define and realise their strategic and business goals through great design, advertising and communication.
I purposely work with a broad range of enterprises, from individuals, start-ups and SMEs to larger companies, governments and multi-nationals. This spans a range of media, often combining print, web, identity, branding, strategic and experiential. To goal is to enable clients to talk to their diverse audiences in the most efficient and effective way possible.
I've learnt that design is more than a visual medium, it needs to be smart thinking not tied down by stock answers or tired repetition. It needs to innovate and avoid the predictable, always driven by the best solution to the challenge in hand not merely reflecting and parroting the competition.
I delight of creating something new that surprises and delivers beyond expectation. It’s the way I approach every project big or small.
The goal is that you meet your creative and business challenges.
This is an outline of how that looks.
- I will take the time to understand your organisation and all the demands and pressures upon it. This is often called the 'Discovery' or 'Exploratory' phase. You could just as easily call it 'Finding out' or 'Getting up to speed'. There's listening then hopefully intelligent questions. Actually there's no dumb questions, freedom to ask anything clears up misunderstanding before confusion takes hold.
. - Understanding your world allows us to work with you to formulate a much more accurate and effective brief. We can agree a goal and then after percolating on the real challenges, propose methods of achieving it along with timescales and costs.
. - That collaborative brief informs us what an when we're going to present our ideas to you. How many rounds of changes we anticipate and what to do if we need more or the project expands beyond the boundaries we anticipated. It's not about being open ended it's balancing rigour and discipline against the value and opportunities that may become apparent.
. - Once we have reached the point where the challenge has been vanquished we agree sign off and go into the implementation phase. This can mean hand over, going to press, painting vans, commissioning uniforms, launching a business, website live, opening a store or issuing business cards. It means different things to every client.
. - Beyond implementation there's reflect and review. Design is by nature a living things that adapts to its surroundings. With websites in order to remain relevant they need both stewardship and nurturing.
Good design is appled creativity delivering solutions.
Mixing creative flair with business pragmatism to achieve both high quality aesthetics and tangible value.
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Meet you.
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Discover your world
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Explore the Challenge
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Agree the Brief
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Present our ideas
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Refine the solution
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Deliver
Background Story
Caught Your Eye is the vessel for the graphic design work of Jonathan Harris. I've been working in design and marketing for over three decades, which to give you an idea of timeline stretches from the decline of analog presses, the beginning of digital print and desktop publishing, through the dot com boom and into the brave new world of the Internet of Things and A.I.
I'm a proud graduate of both Falmouth School of Art - now Falmouth University and Central Saint Martins, part of the University of the Arts London.
I was elected a DBA Bright Spark (kinda like a one to watch or upcoming design star etc) and a member of the Chartered Society of Designers.
My design journey led me through Corporate Design in the UK and North America; Mangement Consulting; Digital and Branding Agencies, Advertising and finally to my own small if perfectly formed empire.
I continue to enjoy working with large clients but also increasingly find exceptional potential working in the SME marketplace. I also speak and work in education when I can.
The Why
My current ambition is to gather the skills, processes and experience of working in design and advertising at the highest level and make them available to the Small & Medium Enterprise sector.
There are some really obvious benefits to this:
- Economic Growth: Small businesses contribute significantly to the economy, creating jobs and driving innovation. They often reinvest profits back into the local community.
- Community Connection: Small businesses tend to be more connected to their communities, understanding local needs and preferences. This fosters a sense of belonging and support.
- Diversity of Choice: They provide unique products and services that reflect the character of the community, offering consumers more choices beyond big corporations.
- Personalised Service: Small businesses often deliver a more personalised customer experience, building relationships with their customers and tailoring their offerings to meet specific needs.
- Sustainability: Many small businesses adopt sustainable practices and support local suppliers, reducing their carbon footprint and promoting ethical consumption.
- Innovation: Small businesses are often more agile and willing to take risks, leading to innovative ideas and solutions that can benefit the market as a whole.
All good things don't you think?
So from brand development, to identity, business tools, websites, packaging, exhibitions and beyond. The graphic design partner for the long haul.
Do you fancy it?
If you'd like to explore working together then please drop me a line using the form below.
Thank you.