What is your role at Rapid & how long have you been on the team?
Middleweight Designer, 2yrs 8 months.
What does your day-to-day look like as Designer at Rapid?
My day-to-day as a designer in the office changes daily if not hourly, depending on the needs of my clients. There’s times that my days are split between client meetings and brainstorming new campaigns with my team. Or losing track of time, getting stuck into a brand design. However the general pattern of play is as follows…
08:31 – Check tasks for the day on Asana and catch up on emails
08:59 – Start designing
10:32 – Make first coffee of the day and grab a snack (the Nutri-lean Salted Caramel pancakes slap)
10:42 – Design a bit more
11:55 – Sometimes there’s a cheeky wee client meeting to attend
12:30 – Lunch
1:00 – Design some more
2:35 – Make another coffee
2:40 – Design something else
4:00 – Crazy witching hour in the studio, sometimes used to fuel creative discussions around the creativity table (sometimes not)
4:32 – Head home
What initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in design?
I wish I had some sort of inspiring story for this, but I don’t. I honestly fell into design.
I finished my A-Levels with the plan to go study Neuroscience and Psychology in St. Andrews Uni, however after some deep thought (and tears, lots) I knew that I needed to work on something creatively driven day-to-day. Thankfully I had applied to the foundation art and design course in Ulster and redirected my studies to study there in September 2017.
Originally I thought I would study Fine Art, however I quickly realised I hated the process of painting as I felt like I wasn’t answering someone else’s problem, I wasn’t helping. I’ve always had an ornate sense of wanting to understand those around me and leave someone else’s world in a better place than when I was introduced to it. With that said, I was introduced to Graphic Design and Illustration and fell in love with it.
In my opinion design is created by people, for people, and I’m just here to facilitate that.
Can you share some insight into your process as a designer? How do you approach brainstorming and starting to create concepts?
Each process and journey in my designs are different and usually a bit messy, but they all start at point A and end at point B. It starts with a brief, a problem and then develops off into a series of ideas and iterations, followed by lots and lots of “what if…” questions, before landing on a seemingly reasonable concept. This concept is then broken apart, worked on and stuck back together before showing my other designers and getting their feedback, so the process can be pushed and started again.
I guess what I’m trying to say is, reiteration and collaboration is key to my design process.
Reflecting on your time at Rapid so far, are there any projects that you are most proud of?
Over the past two years, I’ve had so many opportunities to work on a vast array of projects. The top three that stand out to me are the CastleCourt ‘Like Nowhere Else’ 2024 campaign, The Morning Star brand refresh and SENI’s brand creation. They all demanded different areas of design from me, but at each of their cores lies a story waiting to be told – that’s where I find the magic in design.
What do you get up to outside of work?
Outside of work I weight train in the gym most weekdays, and split my weekends trying out new brunch spots across Co. Antrim and Co. Down – Brew and Bake on the Lisburn road has been the best so far!
What do you find most rewarding about being a designer? Is there any particular element that is most fulfilling to you?
The most rewarding part of being a designer is that I get to create things that otherwise wouldn’t have existed before I crafted it. It’s even more fulfilling when the client loves it.
Do you have any values or principles that guide how you approach design?
Not to add to the noise. Sometimes clients want a cookie cutter brand or campaign which is fine, but in a world that’s already very noisy it’s better to stand out than become camouflaged in what’s already out there.
If you could go back in time and speak to the Megan who was just starting her career in design, what is one piece of advice you would give her?
Say yes to every opportunity that you’re given – you know what you’re doing, and you’re more capable than you think.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting a career in design?
Try out everything – every aspect and discipline of design, try it. If you’re able to problem solve, you’ll be able to figure out how these things work.
How do you handle creative blocks?
I go make another coffee. lol.
But on a serious note, making another coffee gives your idea time to settle. Sometimes a creative block comes from being overwhelmed with too many ideas, especially when you’ve dissected a brief. But, if you’ve done your research well, you have the right answer sat in front of you.
Where do you draw the most inspiration from?
My other designers. Obviously BP&O, Pinterest and Dribble are important because it inspires me visually in regards to how things could possibly look, but surrounding yourself with other designers and creatives is where the most inspiration comes from. They push your thought process, and ask questions you had never considered before.
What is your office pet peeve?
People who don’t tidy up after themselves, especially after lunch. Dirty dishes are an ick x
What’s your go-to office playlist?
Any remixes on Soundcloud. The ‘ Safe 4 Rapid’ soundcloud playlist slaps…
In your opinion, what sets great design aside from the rest?
The designs that challenge the norm. When something doesn’t add to the noise that’s already out there, and challenges the expectations of that product or industry.
Are there any upcoming trends you have noticed that you think will have a big impact on your work?
The buzzword AI will probably have an impact on my work. However, I don’t think the software should dictate the design, but rather we should be using these trending tools to aid our design and processes.