Welcome to my journal
From time to time I put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, so here’s some words from me…
Reflecting on freelance life, January 2023
The big ‘what’s next?’ question…
What’s next? This question and mindset is both a blessing and a curse. It helps push yourself, but often prevents you from being in the moment, enjoying projects and the time you spend with people along the way.
The last two years freelancing has been a whirlwind, much like the doors in Monsters inc, jumping through shiny openings one after another. I’ve been to some amazing places, worked on epic projects and met fantastic people, but have I truly made the most of them? When the ‘what’s next?’ question comes up, I now try to flip it to ‘what can I make the most of?’
I don’t doubt that my mindset to keep pushing for the new has helped me get my foot in those shiny doors, but for the first time it feels like I can just about control what feels like a constant leap from door to door. I feel ready for what’s next rather than caught up in it all and i’m focused on making the most of my future opportunities as a freelance designer.
Article on The Brand Identity, December 2022
Launching The Arena alongside my own freelance design practice
Whattttt, I’m still over la lune to have been featured in The Brand Identity’s series sharing stories from awesome freelancers (not sure how I fit in there…must be doing something right aye!).
The conversation was centred around my freelance work alongside running The Arena, which has been both the best and most challenging time in my journey as a creative so far. Chatting with Poppy was a chance to really reflect on the last year and take a moment to appreciate how far I’ve come and question my own decision making that has led me to where I am today.
If you want to learn more about me, find some potentially helpful advice on freelance life or see what my desk space looks like…check out the article via the link below!
PS Thanks to all the people who reached out with kind words and questions, I hope sharing some of my learnings can help you side step a few of the obstacles that us freelancers face!
Interview on The Arena, January 2021
Creative confidence & collaboration
I was pretty nervous about doing a feature on my own platform to start with, but I eventually came round to the idea. I don't know everything (far from it) but the more we speak about the unspoken, the better.
Here’s a snippet from the feature:
“As much as you might think you’re going into the industry alone, you’re not. The people you’re surrounded with now aren’t your competition, but your opportunities for collaboration in the future. The more of those you have, the happier your career will be.”
Read the full interview here
Article on The Arena, July 2021
How to step outside of your comfort zone
Illustrated by Georgia Baldassarra
In order to gain confidence, you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable and start spending some time just outside of your comfort zone. This is one of the biggest lessons I learnt from running The Arena.
We all want to be more confident, especially within our creative work, but how do you actually do it? Well, I think it starts with identifying our comfort zones, then quickly followed by stepping out of them.
Illustrations by the wonderful Georgia Baldassarra, art directed by myself.
Read the article here
September 2021
Using creativity against climate change
Climate protest at Covent Garden – Poster designed and printed by Dom
I don’t claim to be a climate activist, but I do think as creatives we have a social responsibility to raise awareness and make a positive impact on the planet.
I’d been longing to get back into some print-based work, so in the run up to Extinction Rebellion’s week long climate protests, I decided to make my own poster using lino and attend the first day in Covent Garden.
I enjoyed working by hand after spending the last two and a half years working predominantly on a Mac. Experimenting with an important cause in mind is also a great way to give a side project some purpose and direction.
As well as trying out some lino printing, I also gave video editing a go to share my process in making the print. If you’re interested, you can check it out here.
Check out the full case study here
Represent interview, February 2021
Tackling the creative industry
Photography of me and The Arena team by Matthew Johnson
The lovely people at recruitment agency Represent posed some important questions to myself and the team, diving into The Arena's story and mission.
Being on the other end of an interview and not asking the questions was strange, but it gave me a valuable opportunity to reflect as well as look forward to the future.
Here’s a snippet: “As side projects become increasingly popular, we think it’s important to point out that there is no pressure for you to have one. But if there’s something you’re genuinely passionate about - just start.”
Read the full thing here
August 2021
Volunteering at the London Centre for Book Arts
Photo by Studio Bergini
Back in late 2019 I met Simon Goode, founder of the LCBA at a letterpress film night at St Bride’s Foundation. After the screening I mustered up the courage to speak to Simon when he finished his panel discussion. Not long after I was volunteering one day a week in what felt like a dream environment for any lover of typography and books.
In my 6 month stint at the LCBA alongside my 4 day working week at Ascend, I met the most incredible artists, helped out in book making and letterpress workshops with the likes of Pentagram and Faber Books and even ended up printing invitations for the likes of G.F Smith.
If you’re passionate about something, like I am about printmaking, then find opportunities to learn from the best in the craft.
July 2021
So why does my branding include a croissant?
Photo I took of a fresh croissant from The Dusty Knuckle
Great question! I thought long and hard about how to brand myself and it’s true what they say about designers not being very good at their own branding…
It’s really important to have a visual language that captures the personality of a brand and for me, as strange as it sounds, a croissant does it.
I started to unpack what makes me unique and being half French, obsessed with food and fascinated by craftsmanship is a big part of that. I also don’t take myself too seriously, so an emoji dotted across my site and used in some of my copy helps reflect that.
Plus, you only have to look inside a croissant to recognise the true beauty and delicate nature of the fluffy pastry – So what’s not to love?
P.s if you put jam in your croissant I’m afraid we can’t be friends. Plain butter croissant is the only way 🥐
May 2021
Never stop learning and experimenting
Speculative design by Dom
When I was at university, I learnt and practiced everything I possibly could from letterpress to motion design and branding to information design.
It’s important to keep this curiosity and hunger to learn when entering the industry. What I’ve found, especially in the modern world of branding, is that great creativity nods to craft whilst challenging design norms.
I always try to make time for learning new skills, stylistic treatments and design approaches. I don’t think we should ever really leave ‘education’. The image above is the result of experimenting with effects in Photoshop for a couple hours.
It turned out pretty fresh in my opinion and two weeks later I used the same treatment for a studio project at Ascend.
March 2021
Those damn two words ‘imposter syndrome’
Designed by Dom
Imposter syndrome is something all creatives have – and will likely always have. I can say this with absolute truth as not only do I suffer from it regularly, but also because every incredibly talented person I’ve met and interviewed through The Arena has also.
It’s been helpful to know I’m not alone, but difficult to know we all feel it and never speak up.
This struck me most when I had a super open and honest conversation with co-founder of Ragged Edge, Max Ottignon. He told me that he still has imposter syndrome – that’s right, someone as industry leading as Max, at what I would consider to be one of the best design studios in the world, has imposter syndrome.
He says it’s something that doesn’t really go away and so far in my career I would have to agree. It definitely doesn’t have as much of a negative impact on my mental health, but it still lingers. Maybe that’s ok? Maybe imposter syndrome, when you learn how to live with it, can actually become motivation and drive. Something to think about…
November 2020
Fatima’s next job could be… campaign redesign
Designed by Dom for The Arena’s Instagram page
Fatima’s next job could be in cyber, or she could continue being a kick-ass creative and the government might consider supporting the creative industry for a change.
There was uproar from the creative community when this campaign from the UK government hit the media. It wasn’t really a surprise given the general misunderstanding of the the creative industry.
As soon as I saw the campaign my immediate reaction was to create something satirical, manipulating the language to create a more honest ad campaign.