Daisy Gatehouse is the independent London-based designer behind Studio Dazee. Always beautifully crafted, Daisy’s work combines a strategic approach to design with a wonderfully vibrant and playful aesthetic. After taking an art foundation course at Camberwell School of Art, followed by a degree at Nottingham Trent University, Daisy interned at various places. She found this “a really insightful time as many of the places I’d thought I wanted to work at, I didn’t enjoy that much. The experience helped me narrow down what I wanted to do and where I wanted to work.” She was then employed at various studios, working with clients that included Amazon, Primark and Wagamama to name just a few, before setting up her own studio in 2019.
Primarily focused on branding projects Daisy believes that “digging deep into the audience” is crucial to the success of any project. Her experience in creating visual identities, illustration and UX and UI design means her portfolio is filled with well-conceived brand identity projects that often feature hand drawn elements combined with expert use of vibrant colours that work across multiple platforms. Highlights include recent projects for Vidi Crew and Lunaria Partners a legal recruitment agency that helps finding work for minorities and people from low-income backgrounds.
We caught up with Daisy to find out more about her career path so far, where she finds inspiration, and her experiences as a woman working in the design industry.
Can you tell us a bit about why you became a designer and your career path so far?
I’ve always been interested in art and design. I used to draw my own book covers and film posters, I loved creating the illustrations and typography; observing how different marks can affect the way a design looks really fascinated me. My mum studied art, so I’ve always been surrounded by creative influences, and we always had these beautiful bold prints and art pieces around the house.
After school, I did an art foundation course at Camberwell School of Art and then went to Nottingham Trent University to study Graphic Design. Although it was a graphic design degree, there were lots of opportunities to explore other creative avenues such as advertising or illustration. The tutors were amazing too, they had great connections within the industry which really helped with getting a foot in the door. After graduating, I interned at lots of different agencies and it was a really insightful time. Many of the places I thought I wanted to work at, I didn’t enjoy that much, and it helped me narrow down what I wanted to do and where I wanted to work. I was at a small studio in Brighton called Burst for a little bit before moving back to London and working as a designer at ArtScience for a couple of years. Over the next few years, I worked at a couple of larger agencies, Elvis and Stack, building up my experience with bigger clients and pushing my design skills and extending my knowledge, which led to the setting up Studio Dazee in 2019.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you approach new projects?
I take inspiration from a lot of places and things, but I do prefer to look at art and design books and go out for walks — although recently that’s been harder with lockdown and the work from home situation! Doing self-initiated briefs and learning new software and tools inspires me to push my ideas and skills too. I tend to like doing a bit of everything which to me is the key to being a designer , Learning lots of different things allows me to elevate and accelerate my work, to take it in different directions and to the next level.
In terms of approaching new projects, I find that having a good strategy really helps with developing ideas and answering a client’s brief. Taking the time to do your research beforehand and delving a little deeper into the type of audience you’re designing for is a key factor to building a brand. Over the past few years, I’ve been able to work directly with clients on building their brand strategy. By looking at their core values and goals, as well as at their competitors, position within the marketplace and ideal audience has guided and inspired me to develop better concepts and designs.
“In terms of approaching new projects, I find that having a good strategy really helps with developing ideas and answering a client’s brief. Taking the time to do your research beforehand and delving a little deeper into the type of audience you’re designing for is a key factor to building a brand.”
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been working with a drinks agency recently and helping with their campaigns which has been great. I’m also currently taking a Squarespace coding course and learning HTML, CSS, Javascript as well as how to animate. Most of the work through Studio Dazee has been branding projects with websites included so it felt natural to try and incorporate web design into my services. Learning to code has not been as daunting as I’d initially thought! If you understand the basis of design, then using code to design starts to make sense – although I’m not a great speller which can really mess you up when you code!
Has being a woman impacted your career?
I don’t think it’s impacted my career so far, but if I decide to have kids later then I think it will and it is something that worries me It’ll be difficult to work late with children, and many design agencies don’t have a clear maternity policy laid out in their contracts or have none at all. So far though, I can’t pinpoint any sexism that I’ve experienced although I do know some people who have faced it. I’ve seen more gender equality within the industry than I’ve seen racial equality. I’ve only worked with a handful of BAME people and have encountered some casual racism such as stereotyping or subtle micro aggression. It’s also tough getting into the industry if you’re from a lower-income background, with internships paying very low and starting salaries for juniors being low too. The cost of rent and living expenses prevent many minority ethnics from considering a career in design.
“It’s also tough getting into the industry if you’re from a lower-income background, with internships paying very low and starting salaries for juniors being low too. The cost of rent and living expenses prevent many minority ethnics from considering a career in design.”
What advice do you have for newly emerging designers just starting out in the industry?
I’d say, try to keep up to date with the latest software. Having a presence on social media really helps; I have a love-hate relationship with it, but I do think it’s really helped with connecting with people and bringing in client work. I found it quite easy to get drowned out on Instagram although it can be a great place to get inspiration and be creative with your content. I’m constantly amazed at how the younger generation are using it! LinkedIn can be a great place to distinguish yourself from others! Also, try not to get too disheartened if an application gets rejected and you feel that you’re not good enough. Eventually you’ll always manage to find a place that’s right for you. Plus, never take design too seriously, it should be fun and creative.If you’re stressing out about something, it’s probably not worth it. After all, you’re not doing open-heart surgery!
