About.
Hi, I’m Aaron an Integrated Senior Freelance Designer and Illustrator.
I'm a Senior Creative and Design Leader with 15+ years building brands, leading teams, and delivering work that drives real commercial outcomes.
Agency-side, I spent nearly seven years at Havas helia. Progressing from Senior Designer to Design Lead, scaling the team from 3 to 12, and leading creative on accounts including Premier Inn, Avanti West Coast, Volvo, Diageo and Pets at Home.
Client-side, I joined Côte Restaurants as Creative Lead, overhauling the studio's workflow, leading the transition to Figma, growing the team through strategic hires and shaping the brand's creative direction across a busy multi-channel programme.
Through my studio Pencil Pencil, I work across the full creative range: brand identity, integrated campaigns, UX and digital design, illustration, art direction, print and artworking and I'm as comfortable presenting strategy to a boardroom as I am hands-on in Figma at midnight before a deadline.
Current freelance clients include SURI, Tails.com, The British Red Cross, Antler, Côte Brasserie, Clarks, and Premiership Rugby.
I lead from the front: hands-on when it matters, strategic when it counts.
Open to senior creative, contract, and permanent opportunities, remote or on-site.
👋🏻
Cheltenham based designer,
gymgoer, Haribo munching, homemade sourdough baking,
fan of the English seaside
& design obsessive. ☺︎
Selected Clients
Three Mobile
Baileys
Captain Morgan
EasyJet
GWR
Virgin
Royal Mail
The British Red Cross
Barclays
Suez
Pimm's
O2
Dove
SURI
IKEA
Macmillan
Subway
RAC
Clarks
BBC
English Heritage
Gordons
Johnnie Walker
Tails.com
Premiership Rugby
BT
Volvo
Guinness
Lloyds Bank
Organix
Pets at Home
Tanqueray
Premier Inn
Côte Brasserie
Antler
About
I live and breathe design, and approach it by understanding that at its core, design is problem-solving. Drawing on first-hand experiences, a borderline obsession with the why and ensuring that digital experiences are created to inspire, solve problems and elevated to the next level.
An all-round creative who struggles to switch off, picking faults in restaurant menus, beer labels and kerning on shop fronts. Lover of character and contemporary design.
Why Pencil Pencil?
Inspired by Staedtler pencils. The starting point for any project, along with a blank page. With a degree in illustration from Falmouth University, I now combine my love of drawing, character design, colour and visual design.
How?
I’m calm under pressure, having spent years developing my design skills, leading teams and working hand-in-hand with brands, and for brands, to bring creative visions to life. This includes through innovative design execution, exploring colour theory, typography and design principles. All within deadlines, while aligning to short and long term strategic goals.
A natural leader, forged from the years working as a pizza chef as a student, and working my way up the industry through respect for one another and a passion for design and shaping stand-out creative work.
Core Skills
Art direction
Identity & branding
Digital design
Typography
Creative strategy
User interface / experience design
Digital product design
Illustration & character design
Iconography
Information design
Email design
Mobile & responsive design
Print, artworking, pre-press
Retouching
Presentation design
Mentoring & leadership
Prefer to pick up the phone and chat? ☺︎
(+44) 077 3288 4815