Navigational and informational signage design project by Alex Makes for Kingswood Arts CIC, showcasing the non-profit’s brand and offerings whilst clearly directing visitors to the historical Kingswood House where the organisation is based.

Have you ever seen 100% recycled paper that is suitable for fountain pens? See how Novel Notes eco-friendly paper fared in pen tests (spoiler: it's amazing!)

Are you a business owner just starting up and needing to make a big impact with your product or service? Or perhaps you're a marketing manager looking to refresh your organisation's image? Even if you're a self-employed service provider, influencer or creative professionals, you can benefit greatly from branding yourself and your business. A well-strategised, attractive, and engaging brand will help you to reach your desired audience, potentially helping to spread your message and earning you more money.

As a designer who loves to help people achieve their goals, it is important to me to learn about the businesses and individuals that come to me for my creative services. Usually, there is a problem that needs to be solved creatively, perhaps a business goal that isn't being met at the moment or a target audience that they are struggling to reach effectively. The start of the design process is about getting to the root of the problem, before figuring out how to solve it.

The #OnlyOneEarth Practical Guide outlines some of the transformative actions that organisations and people can take. Here are some of the points that you might find useful, if you plan to take action on World Environment Day (or any other day!)

Using the resources and knowledge available to me, I provide materials and services to empower people to experience their own powerful visions and journeys of discovery. Working with creative minds, unique individuals and organisations with noble goals… visions intersect, opportunities open up, and we strengthen our resolve – we will achieve great things together.

MarchMeetTheMaker® (MMTM) is a 31-day social media challenge for creative businesses. This event runs throughout March every year and starts on Tuesday the 1st of March this year. It takes place primarily on Instagram which makes this a really interesting visual event during which makers, crafters, creators, and artists can share their work and themselves using visual storytelling in the form of daily social media posts.

If you have ever worked with a graphic designer before, you will probably have discovered the importance of the graphic design brief. It is a crucial step in the design process and one that is necessary to save you time, money, and get you the design you want.

LUXLife magazine recently announced the winners of the 2021 Global Vegan Awards and I am so pleased, on behalf of Novel Notes, to accept the award of 'Best Sustainable & Vegan Stationery Provider UK' given by LUXLife, a luxury lifestyle magazine that highlights high quality products to its readership…

A notable creative project came up for me in 2021 that was just the right mix of logical branding, minimalist abstract art and poetic conceptualism to get my brain cogs turning and creative juices flowing. I was excited to work on this, not just because the themes were right up my alley but because the organisation I would be creating for was one that is close to my heart.

Start the new year as you wish to go on…

🕸Special spooky notebook covers, painted by hand - every piece is unique!

Alex Makes features on UAL Alumni Stories