Being a small, albeit tight-knit team here at Pivotal, it’s always exciting news and a big deal when we expand our team, so we’re thrilled to announce that freelance graphic designer and branding expert, Amanda Seymour (above) will be joining our team.
We wouldn’t have gotten Amanda on board if she wasn’t right for the job. With a vast array of experience under her belt, Amanda is a big deal herself. After over thirty-three years working in the graphics industry, complemented by a rich background in digital illustration, Amanda has had a colourful career, teeming with diverse jobs, encompassing brochures and packaging to online logos and digital artwork.
Most importantly her values align with ours at Pivotal. “I feel there’s a lot I can give to small businesses,” Amanda enthuses when asked what skills she feels she can bring to Pivotal.
“I understand that Phil’s [Pivotal Director] mainstay business is a local business and, as I live locally, it would be nice to be a little bit more in touch with the businesses that I live near and support them as well,” she explains candidly.
“I already support a business in Leeds and how that works as a social enterprise and this is a similar thing but on a commercial basis, as in it’s in and around shopkeepers that I know and have already shopped at. It’s understanding them a bit better.”
As well as being driven by a passion to help grassroots enterprises, Amanda’s work is also fuelled by her wish to do job patrons can be truly pleased with. “The best bit is a happy client really,” she admits.
It’s clear surpassing customers’ expectations is one of her top priorities as she outlines what she regards as the most important qualities a good graphic designer should have. “Someone who’s a good listener, someone who takes on board what the client is saying and what they’re asking for. This is the difference with some designers; it’s designing for the client and the client’s needs, not designing because it looks nice and that’s what they like.
“It would be really nice to sit there all day long doing the things that you actually genuinely like for yourself. However the end purpose is what is good for the client and making what you do functional and appeasing, that’s aesthetically pleasing to the client too or, if they have an idea, interpreting that and taking it and developing it a step further.”
Working closely with clients to achieve their design goals is something Amanda thrives at, being perfectly at home with working on a freelance basis, operating under morrisseymour.co.uk. “I’m not what I call a ‘mover and shaker.’ I’ve only had about three actual jobs. In each of them I worked for about seven to eight years so I was ready to go and literally dip in somewhere and go for a couple of days, go for a week, go somewhere else.”
With her zest for design and expansive experience, Amanda has seen a lot of developments whilst working in the field. “When I first started it was a case of you did graphics for packaging, that’s predominantly what I did but I think, as the digital age has appeared, the whole gamut of what you could be designing for has expanded. So what you may design for one thing that has multiple end users.”
Being no stranger to applying her fusion of commercial savvy with a creative flair for digital visuals and eye for branding to businesses, Amanda is as excited to contribute her skills to our growing set of specialisms and to join Pivotal as we are to have her on board!
