Martin Paul Driscoll

Born: *nd July **** in London

Qualifications:

‘O’ Levels in; English English Literature History Art Theory Art and Design

City and Guilds Diploma in Typography and Design from

The London College of Printing

Diploma in Graphic Art & Design from St Martin’s School of Art London

Edexcel DTP Degree from Matthew Boulton College Birmingham

Various DTP/Adobe/Apple Mackintosh course passes

Work History:

1970-1971: Chapman and Company Limited

Apprenticed printer in a London specialist printers supplying Government stationery and 8/16 colour press work for clients such as Readers Digest.

I left there to become a junior designer at my next employer:

1971-1983: Artplan Associates Limited

I started as a messenger and junior artist learning varied studio skills, artworking, photo retouching, illustration, lettering but specialised in advertising and graphic design, this was pre computers so all artworking was ‘cut and paste’ on drawing boards, I learnt typesetting, copy casting skills and cutting copy to fit, designing ads, brochures, direct mail, above and below the line advertising, exhibition work, corporate ID and logo design etc. We worked for all the major London ad agencies, taking their briefs and scamps and turning them into press ready media. I rose to senior designer level and was headhunted for my next post:

1983-1999: Kay and Company Limited

I was approached by a former colleague to go up to Worcester and ‘build’ a new team of 8 designers to work up all the mail order catalogues, brochures, mailers and marketing print for Kays catalogue, [a division of the GUS/Burberrys empire], I taught the team page make up skills, [still pre-computer then!], design and typography, amended and approved their work, set goals, times, skill levels etc, I interviewed new staff, encouraged existing staff and went on training courses, all the while being a hands-on designer/art director of my own fashion sections, designing sections, new season stylesetters, presenting work to my creative directors, main board directors and CEO, buying controllers, marketeers etc, I went on press to pass covers and sections. I also ran the schools work experience, mentoring, and graduate placement programmes GUS operated, so I would have a number of students ranging in ages from 16 to 24 working alongside my staff in regular stints, [a week for placement, up to a month for graduates]. I enjoyed this aspect hugely, and was, I believe, pretty successful in making it work well.

This employment ended in late 1999 when GUS closed the Worcester operation and relocated to Head Offices in Manchester, I declined the relocation package and took voluntary redundancy to become a freelance senior graphic designer/art director which I am to date.

1999-to present:

I am currently a self employed senior freelance graphic designer/art director.

But, I AM available [and happy] to commute or relocate for this exciting permanent position if deemed suitable.

I specialise in print and press projects, mainly magazines, brochures, programmes, posters, flyers, signage, exhibition and display material.

I visual concepts and ideas for ads, corporate ID’s, logo and brands etc.

I have regular briefings and presentations to clients who are based in Worcestershire, London, Kent, Oxford and I also have designed and built an entire sci fi novel for an author in Canada! [This work is generally done via email, phone, skype, Dropbox and FTP when not an option for face to face meetings].

I have all the current DTP skills; I run an Applemac G5 operating Quark Xpress 6.5, CS suite C5, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office and Firefox, Fetch and FTP applications etc.

I can illustrate, copywrite straplines and headings, take decent high res digital photographs and take and understand client briefs.

I am also the director of The Worcestershire Literary Festival & Fringe, [which I co-founded in 2010], I design ALL the brand, logos, print and press and run many events, I have created several poets and authors websites, books, brands and ads in the last year or so of the WLF’s existence and we have just also launched a 52pp A4 lifestyle quarterly magazine which I am the creative director of, I build this from a flatplan to final high res PDF files to print.

My ‘outside work’ interests are:

Walking Community activities 5 a side football

Reading and writing Photography Graphic design [particularly the study of American advertising].

Volunteer/charitable/social enterprise organisations:

Be Magazine Creative Director

Worcester Business Biscotti Ambassador

Worcestershire Literary Festival & Fringe Director

and its design & advertising creative head

SEBA CIC Design Director/Judging panel member

Transition Worcester Core Committee member

and design head of its communications group

Volunteer/charitable/social enterprise responsibilities:

In the six years of me being a director of the Worcestershire Literary Festival & Fringe (LitFest & Fringe for short), I have been its main fund raiser, writing all grant applications and funding requests to such bodies and individuals as:

The County Arts Officer for Worcestershire County Council

(annual arts grants of usually £500)

The Elmley Foundation (a charitable funding body, £750 in 2016)

County Councillor Matthew Jenkins (annual Divisional Funding of £500)

The Bransford Trust (another, local charitable funding body, £500 in 2016)

So: £2250 raised for the festival for its 2016 programming)

I also procured our public liability cover of £275 from Sutcliffe and Co for an adverting space in our printed programme…

I also look to raise around £1000 profit annually on all the advertising space I sell in our printed programme of events after paying for 2000 printed copies of the publication which I also design as well as programme most of the events with one of my fellow directors and I will open/close or host many of the events during the ten day festival.

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