Sarah Twelves is a graphic designer with a keen eye for typography and strategy driven design, which she expertly applies to visual identities and editorial design. Sarah particularly enjoys coming up with new concepts and the “development and investigation stages of the project”, often taking a playful, considered, and experimental approach. Graduating from Sheffield Hallam University (UK) in 2020, she freelanced for a local cancer charity and worked in various part-time roles, before recently starting a full-time role as graphic designer with creative marketing agency, Linney.
Having graduated online in the middle of the pandemic, Sarah is an example of how unexpected situations can lead to positive outcomes: “I think for me, it was about making the best out of a bad situation and throwing myself into anything and everything, in order to meet people (virtually) and get myself out there”. This approach has proved successful as Sarah gained access to online mentorship programmes, had her work showcased in Craig Oldham’s Grad Showcase 2020 and featured on London billboards as part of the Nationwide Degree Show 2020 organised by platform Fresh Meet.
Sarah acknowledges that it was a challenging time and that spending so much time online can put an overwhelming amount of pressure on emerging creatives, especially the perceived need to be constantly posting on social media. As she aptly tells DbyW, “It’s great to be proactive, but if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s to take time out for your mental health” – and we couldn’t agree more!
We talked with Sarah to find out more about her creative approach and process, her plans for the future and advice for other emerging designers.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you approach a new project?
For me, inspiration can come from what I like to call the ‘every day’, people, conversations, and findings. I love being spontaneous and based my final year university project around conversations. I found myself so inspired during the development and investigation stages of the project that it’s something I continue now. I recently spoke to a lovely woman whose father is a Glaswegian brass stamp maker (still at 88!) and sells his products at craft fairs all around the country, whilst other members of his family carry on the business and teach it to the younger generations of their family. Our spontaneous meeting and conversation were so inspiring and have given me lots of ideas for a self-initiated project!
I love approaching new projects and being in the ‘unknown’ or ‘where will this go’ stage, as I mind map all my ideas onto paper in the form of notes, words, and sketches. My work is strategy led and easily justified, which comes from the way I delve deeply into the context right from the beginning.
How has entering the industry during a pandemic impacted your career journey so far?
I finished the last few months of my degree from the four walls of my bedroom. It was SUCH an anti-climax as I added the last of my files to Google Drive for my tutors – no huge bursting folder of work to hand in, no goodbyes to my friends and no sigh of relief leaving our university building.
Sheffield Hallam University had lots of remote intern programmes during the pandemic, where I luckily gained an internship with a Sheffield charity, Cavendish Cancer Care – a wonderful organisation who I now freelance for. This was a great opportunity to keep myself busy and use my time productively as I was spending a lot of time at home during lockdown.
It’s been great to see lots of new initiatives and online platforms come to life during that ever so weird time. One of them being Fresh Meet who ran the Nationwide Degree Show where they featured graduates work on London billboards as so many of us were without physical degree shows. I was lucky enough to have my work chosen and showcased! Craig Oldham started his Grad Showcase in which he supported the graduates of 2020 (and now 2021). From this I met (again, virtually) some amazing people in industry who have been willing to give me some of their valuable time for portfolio reviews and have kept in touch with me since, still offering feedback as I progress. Another great initiative is The Arena who support emerging creatives. I was luckily selected to take part in their mentoring programme and again met some wonderful people!
Instagram has been a great place to be as accounts such as This is Intern hosted lots of interesting live interviews/Q&A’s with some great designers in industry – would this have ever happened if there was no pandemic? I also made sure to stay engaged with people through zoom calls, including some of the Ladies Wine and Design (Sheffield) online events and activities.
“For me, it was about making the best out of a bad situation and throwing myself into anything and everything in order to meet people and get myself out there as much as possible. I had no excuse for not being able to attend an online event during a pandemic, so why not!?”
What do you find most challenging about being a designer?
I find that (same as many others) I put way too much pressure on constantly being creative, constantly having amazing ideas, churning out amazing projects and be posting all of this on social media for everybody to see. It’s great to be proactive but if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s to take time out for your mental health, and I’ve certainly burnt the wick at both ends at one point or another!
“Take time out for you!”
What are your career plans or goals for the future?
I’ve always been a people’s person, whether that be through my part time catering job throughout my teenage years or by helping a stranger in the supermarket, and it’s something I want to continue to do in the creative industry. During university, I was lucky enough to get involved in professional mentoring schemes, portfolio reviews. I was also a student course representative, completed internships and much more… These were all amazing opportunities where amazing people have helped me develop into the creative person I am today. This has really made me to want to give back to those future creative students who seeking help and advice as they figure out what they want to do.
Last year, I started a role as a Graphic Designer for Linney, a creative marketing agency in Nottinghamshire. I’ve known the agency for a while and did a short placement with them a few years back – so it’s amazing to be back there! There’s so much to get involved in and I’m still partly figuring out where I want to go in my creative career (which isn’t a bad thing) and feel I have the full support of my colleagues at Linney to do this!
I’ve recently been accepted onto a mentoring programme with creative community The Arena, where this time, I’ll be the mentor instead of the mentee! Although I am relatively new to the creative industry, I’m still able to offer sound advice when it comes to graduating and job seeking.
Of Polarisation: A typographic only outcome, taking the starting point of the word ‘polarisation’ from Richard Serra’s verb list which influenced the content, format, grid and layout.
What top tips would you give to current design students and emerging creatives just starting their careers?
To all students, throw yourself into absolutely every opportunity and challenge! You’ve got nothing to lose other than a bit of time if you don’t like something. The more things you try, the more people you will meet, the more your network will grow and the more you will learn. Take advantage of the amazing tutors and lecturers on your course, their knowledge really is so valuable and the more you show an interest, the more they will want to help you.
To women, don’t be afraid of the industry being male dominated. Be confident, fierce and honest about yourself and your work, it will show, and will pay off as people start to recognise you. When you go for interviews, ask questions about the male/female balance of the workplace and ask for their thoughts on the subject.
There are so many people out there willing to help early career starters in the creative industry, so just get talking to anyone and everyone!
“Be confident, fierce and honest about yourself and your work, it will show, and will pay off as people start to recognise you.”
Beyond A–Z: A self-initiated project that focuses on punctuation, resulting in a typographic publication exploring the speeches of Winston Churchill through the use of expressive punctuation.
Name your top three creative crushes currently working in the industry?
There are so many amazing women out there at the mo! In absolutely no order:
- I love the work of Johanne Lian Olsen @j_lianolsen who’s typographic and publication design is to die for!
- Amber Weaver – founder of @type01 and @femmetype – who’s ‘Curated By’ talk with Sheffield Hallam University was absolutely great and not one to be missed!
- I’ve followed Dani Molyneux @dotto_studio for a while now and always love seeing her risograph typographic prints brighten up my Instagram feed, and my mood!