Laura is an inspirational multi-disciplinary designer whose skills set ranges from video production and animation though to art direction and branding. Having been mistaken for a model or make up stylist whilst at networking events and on video shoots, she is out to challenge stereotypes of women in the creative industries and has already made her mark in the male-dominated world of animation and video.
Laura’s entrepreneurial drive together with a degree in visual communication led to her co-founding video production agency Save As whose clients have included BBC1 Xtras, Coca-cola, Birmingham City University and Vue cinemas. Whilst studying she freelanced and ran a photography studio with two friends which meant that after graduating in 2016, she felt ready to launch a creative agency with her business partner and fellow student Ryan Bayliss. Of how she felt at the time Laura says, “I think the push to do it at that moment was the realisation that we had no commitments, no kids, no mortgage and were still living at home, so it felt like the best time to really go for it with less risk and nothing to lose.”
Whilst a student she became an Adobe rep and was approached by Adobe to be part of the ‘Made This’ campaign, a Creative Cloud promotional video of selected students, which raised her profile and gave her confidence as a young female designer. Experimenting with animation, video and photography has given Laura an invaluable range of skills and the ability to adapt and evolve as a designer.
Now moving into the field of interior design, Laura is adding to her skills and studying part-time for a degree in interior architecture whilst still co-running Save As. Interior design, furniture renovation and styling has always been a passion and her aim is to combine her background in branding and animation with new skills in 3D and interior design. She’s also recently set up the black owned The MVIBE Collective founded with visual designer Melissa Williams creating a range of interior products. Given Laura’s track record of producing exciting and innovative projects we are really looking forward to seeing what Laura does next in the world of interior spaces.
We chatted with Laura to find out what drives and motivates her and to discover more about her experiences as a young woman in design.
Tell us about your career path of how you got to where you are now.
My career path is an ensemble of experiences, with each one giving me a new understanding and skill, and probably a life lesson, about who I am as a designer.
I started off selling illustrations and printed postcards at craft fairs around Birmingham (which probably just broke even in terms of profit) but it was my first entrepreneurial experience and opened my eyes to what it would be like to run a business.
I ended up in almost a dual world, the university world where the expected career path was towards working in an agency and was based on professional practices and live briefs. At the same time, I was running a photography studio with a set of friends who had completely dodged university and gone for the practical approach of learning as you go by running a business and being self-made entrepreneurs. This combination of learning the theory side of how to be a professional designer whilst also running a business, having design clients and gaining industry experience gave me the perfect balance.
After graduating, it was a choice between working for an agency or setting up a business and I chose to launch Save Asagency with my friend Ryan Bayliss. I think the push to do this at that moment was realising that I had no commitments, no kids, no mortgage and I was living at home so it felt like the best time to really go for it with nothing to lose. This was my first time, hands-on in a full-time business managing clients and hiring staff.
Eventually we got an office studio in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and connected with local agencies, working on video projects for brands such as Coca Cola, San Miguel and Carlsberg. Alongside growing our agency, we have also become official trainers on an entrepreneurial start-up course, teaching university students how to set up businesses and freelance in the creative world.
Save As now specialises in video, which has evolved over time into our specialist area and what we’re known for. We take on less work but the work we do is with more high-profile clients. Both myself and Ryan now work part time with Save As and are exploring the next stage in our desired career paths, which for me is exploring the relationship between 2D graphic and motion design and 3D Interior Design.
How did your business partnership with Ryan Bayliss come about?
We met in the Foundation Year before starting university and were fellow students during our degrees. We had complimentary skills sets in that I was into video and advertising and Ryan was into websites so in terms of setting up a business we felt we offered a full service. Whilst working together we taught each other a bit of our own skills sets, which is why I can do a little bit of web design and Ryan can do video and animation.
How has the business evolved over time?
We started off saying we were a digital agency and that we’d do everything; we took any job. Over time we realised that people were unclear about what we actually did and that marketing such a broad spectrum of skills was difficult. We felt more passionate about the video projects and found them more engaging and exciting, so decided to focus on promoting this area of our business. We’d found our niche and adapted our social media content and marketing towards video, as we’ve found that the type of work you put out there directly affects what you get in. I’ve also found that as a freelancer or small business having a specialism works better in terms of self-promotion and managing projects. I don’t want to be an amateur in everything, I’d rather be a specialist in one or two things.
You seem really good at collaborating is this something that’s important to you?
In the real world when you work on larger scale projects, it’s never just one person behind the scenes. At university you tend to do everything yourself and out in the real world the bigger the project the more segregated it gets, and the more people have their specialisms. I would rather build the right team and collaborate to produce a high-quality end product, than try to do everything myself. Also, it’s easy to suffer from burn out, which I experienced last year. I think that having a creative partnership or trusted collaborators boosts your motivation and is something that works really well for me.
How do you promote yourself and meet collaborators?
I would say 90% of our exposure for Save As came from social media, but a lot of our work now comes through word of mouth, through existing clients recommending us. Relationships are so important. Collaborating and meeting people at networking events are also a good way to make connections. We prefer industry-focused events such as the Media Production Show for meeting collaborators, as opposed to business-networking events where it feels like everyone’s there to sell themselves. If we want to meet potential clients, we’d rather go to a trade show or exhibition so that we can introduce ourselves and make connections that way. Recently we went to the kitchen show at Grand Designs because a client of ours was exhibiting there.
What have been your experiences as a woman in the design and media industries?
In the video and media industry most people expect videographers and photographers to be men. I went to a black-tie networking event and because I was wearing a feminine dress people kept coming up to me and asking if I was a model, or singer, or dancer. When I explained I was a videographer, they were really shocked and were like, “you should be wearing a suit”. They assumed that I was model because of the way I looked. This has made me feel that I shouldn’t go to these events looking girly as I won’t be taken seriously and made me reconsider outfit choices to try to man-up my style.
I’ve also found that sometimes when we’re in a conversation with a Save As client, particularly from the older generation, they will often direct their questions towards Ryan as if I were his side-kick instead of a partner in the business. Sometimes clients assume I’m the admin person or stylist. I have on occasion also experienced discrimination as a young female designer when I have been taken advantage of in negotiating contracts terms and getting paid.
If you could go back to the beginning and start your career again what would tell your younger self?
I would tell my younger self “Learn to say no!” A mixture of self-worth issues and anxieties that people didn’t want to pay for design led me into a lot of situations where I know I was exploited.
I appreciate that there is a transitional period where you are starting off and to gain exposure you are encouraged to do a lot of pro bono and low paid work to build up a portfolio. It’s an experimental period where you’re discovering what it is you want to focus in and many of these projects I benefited from later in getting paid work. So it really does work!
However, there are people and businesses who take advantage of young designers. Being a woman, I did find some people will try to take advantage of the assumption that as a female you don’t quite know what you’re doing in the business world. You need to find a balance and be clear when you are happy to explore new skills and build a portfolio for little reward. I would tell my younger self to learn the art of saying “no” before projects get out of hand with extreme time commitments for no pay or without the exposure promised at the start.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I am currently studying part-time for an Architectural Interior Design Degree at Westminster University, with the aim of working in the advertising and 2D design world with brands and companies that focus on 3D spaces such as hotels, restaurants and retail. I would love to have a studio that explores the relationship between 2D design and 3D spaces so as to make a truly immersive customer experience.
Do you have any female role models or mentors who have shaped your career?
I often turn to Youtube for inspiration in the design and business world, following a range of ‘Youtubers’ in the Lifestyle and Designers Sector who are mostly female, in their mid to late 20’s – but starting these amazing empires online.
Wild We Roam are illustrators and live a life travelling around the world in a van, publishing lifestyle books.
Karin Bohn is an interior designer in Canada, who shows behind the scenes of her established business of 10 years, and who now is part of a new Netflix series on renovating restaurants.
Mr Kate is an online Youtube interior designer who has accumulated millions of subscribers and has now grown to have her own show on HGTV.
Although I’m following a different path to all these women, watching their journeys online, I find inspirational for how I want to build a business that fits around my desired lifestyle and personal passions.
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