After an initial career in marketing, Amy Georgette studied Graphic Design at Shillington Manchester in 2020 and now specialises in creative strategy and branding. She’s passionate about using design to make a positive difference in the world and recently created an impressive new brand identity for the re-election campaign of Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
For her final project at Shillington, Amy created a standout campaign for charity Pregnant Then Screwed, raising awareness of the inequalities faced by pregnant women and mothers at work. Shortlisted as a Finalist at the AGDA Design Awards 2020 (Student Identity and Print), the project cleverly highlights the issues in an approachable yet playful way. Surprised by the widespread discrimination faced by women, Amy was keen to raise awareness of the issue. As she aptly puts it, “we’ve got to keep the conversation alive and use our creative skills to challenge perceptions and push for positive change.”
Currently working as Design Consultant for global agency BrightCarbon, Amy believes in the importance of being brave, such as applying for jobs even if you don’t meet all the criteria, or learning to promote yourself and be less self-deprecating. Reflecting on the impact of the pandemic, Amy offers sound advice to anyone considering a career in design: “be brave…life is too short not to do what you love and try new things.” Her positivity and enthusiasm can be seen in her well-crafted portfolio of work and we look forward to following her as she develops in her career!
We caught up with Amy about her experiences as an emerging designer, the power of connecting with her local design community and her optimism for women designers of the future.
Why did you decide to become a graphic designer?
I’ve always had a keen eye for design, but I’d say my passion for it grew quite quickly whilst I was working in marketing. My first full time role was working as a Marketing Assistant for a hospice charity. Resources and budgets were quite slim, so my manager would often let me create posters and fundraising guides in-house for events and campaigns. I absolutely loved it and thrived off those moments.
After that I moved on to another marketing role at a university and I found that I was trying to squeeze design into every opportunity I could. That was when I realised I was clearly in the wrong profession. Now that I am a trained designer, I can’t imagine life any other way. Not only have I got a bunch of new skills for life, but I’ve learnt so much about myself and the world around me through the beautiful lens of design!
What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started the course at Shillington?
I was lucky enough to be able to study graphic design at Shillington in Manchester UK. I’d had my eye on their course for a few years, but I never thought I would be able to pull the money together to study there. Then in Spring 2019 they launched a half-scholarship award, so without any hesitation I applied and submitted a creative piece of work with the limited skills I had at the time. When I got a phone call to say that I’d been successful and won, I frantically ran out of the marketing office I was working in at the time. I was just so excited and overwhelmed. I’ll never forget that day — it truly changed the course of my life and career.
I absolutely loved my time at Shillington. If I could go back to the start, I would tell myself it’s going to be absolutely fine and to stop doubting my ability. I’ve always been quick to doubt myself, but my Shillington lecturers soon kicked that out of me. It almost felt like therapy!
How has being female impacted your education and career so far?
So far, I have only had a positive experience being a female designer. I’m sure that as I progress through my career there will be some hurdles that I will face, but at the moment I am just enjoying getting to know my fellow female creators in the North East and the wider community online. I feel like it’s such a great time to join the industry, with bigger platforms opening up for women all of the time. I just hope this progressive side of the industry continues to be open, welcoming and inclusive for all.
There is lots of discussion in the design industry around the gender pay gap and how few women progress into senior positions. As an emerging creative do you have any thoughts on how we can counteract this imbalance?
We’ve got to keep the conversation alive and use our creative skills to challenge perceptions and push for positive change. We know that women are being disproportionately impacted economically by the pandemic, so supporting one another and speaking out is more vital than ever.
For one of my final projects at Shillington I created a campaign for the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, which aims to shine a light on the inequalities that many pregnant women and mothers face in the workplace. During that project, I learnt so much more about the issues we face as women in all sectors of work. For instance, 40% of employers say they would avoid hiring a woman of childbearing age, and 54,000 women a year are pushed out of their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity leave. It’s quite unbelievable really. But we’ve got to stay focused on these kinds of issues and call them out when we see and experience them.
“It’s important to know your worth too. So, if you’re asked during an interview what your salary expectations are, be honest and ask what you would be comfortable with. It can feel like a daunting question, but if they are a good employer, they will give you the salary and opportunities that you deserve.”
I also recently read a statistic that men apply for jobs when they meet only 60% of the criteria, but women only apply if they meet it 100%. I’ve definitely been guilty of this in the past but I’m learning to be more ambitious with my job applications. You never know, you might just be the perfect fit, so don’t hold back!
How have you grown and developed throughout your education and career so far?
This may sound strange… but I’ve learnt to be less self-deprecating. When you’re from the North East of England, I feel that is a characteristic trait you’re just born with – to play things down and make fun of yourself. Even though I’m super proud to call the North East my home, I’ve found this self-critical mentality often quite draining, despite its humorous intent.
Through the support of the female design community and my local Ladies, Wine and Design group in Newcastle, I’m learning to be proud of my achievements and not make them feel less important just because I’m from the North East! We all deserve success, no matter where we are from, who we are or where we started.
Has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted your career?
The Covid-19 pandemic started midway through design school. It was such a shame that our time was cut short in the studio, but fortunately Shillington quickly adapted the course to allow us all to continue working from home. They really pulled it out of the bag for us and I honestly feel like my fellow graduates and I are all tougher designers for it. We were all super proud of one another by the end. It’s fair to say that our Graduate Showcase with virtual drinks was an emotional one!
What top tips would you give to current design students or women considering a career in the design industry?
Be brave! See how far you can push your designs and the message you want to communicate. Ask your peers for honest feedback on your work and take it on board. Experiment and take part in Instagram challenges like #36DaysOfType. Just go for it! If 2020 has proved anything, life is too short not to do what you love and try new things.
“Be brave! See how far you can push your designs and the message you want to communicate.”
Which women designers would be on your dream list to work or collaborate with and why?
For a while now I’ve been following the work of Mandy Barker and her epic team at Sail Creative — a Newcastle-based branding studio who are just smashing it at the moment. It would definitely be a dream to work with them in some way one day, as I just love their whole ethos and how committed they are to real-world change through design. I’m also a big fan of Altogether Creative, which is headed up by Sarah Tempest, Co-Founder and Strategic Director. Sarah and her team produce some of the dreamiest corporate identities in the arts and culture sector — each project blows me away every time. And finally, it would be amazing to collaborate with The Traveller and the Bear at some point – Claire Knight cofounded this Newcastle-based creative agency and she really champions local creatives and freelancers, as well as works on some insane projects, a recent one being for NASA!
Your top five creative crushes currently working in the industry?
This is so tough as there are so many incredible female designers out there. At the moment I’m really loving work from:
- Shanti Sparrow – The queen of colour and feel good designs. Also, an educator at Shillington and always super inspiring to me.
- Marion Botella – A French photographer and stylist based in Newcastle who takes the dreamiest product and food photos.
- Aurélia Durand – An award-winning designer who creates the most vivid and exciting artwork inspired by her West African heritage.
- Alexandra Francis – An incredible Manchester-based designer who creates beautiful, feminine illustrations.
- Olimpia Zagnoli – An Italian artist who creates really stunning artwork for the likes of Uniqlo and The New Yorker just using simple geometric shapes.
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Article by Jenny Hiley
Jenny Hiley is one of our wonderful DesignbyWomen collaborators.