N R E TU ER H
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The life and times of a graphic designer
What inspires you to get creative? What medium do you pick? What do you do with it next? Where does it all take you?
This site and all the work contained in it are protected by Š Copyright
42 The true meaning
Highlights & Low lights Challenges Goals and aspirations Heroes and heroines
Is there a 10 year plan? What kind of Gallery? Helping hand... Get it all down on paper
The first step to a career
INDEX 1 A brief history in time.... 2 Printing 3 Royal Exchange 4 Fast Signs 5 4imprint 6 4imprint 7 Half-an-apple Class of 1993-5
EDUCATION HISTORY:
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Class of 1992-3 + 97 + 08
www.trafford.ac.uk
NEW YORK
Get a degree from a New York State University: Study in a stunning surroundings with mountains and lakes all around and still only a stones throw from the big city. Gain the Degree you want in good sized classes and all the amenities you could ask for. Participate in social activities like the nationally ranked soccer team or tennis team. With this location you also get to participate in all kinds of outdoor activities from tubing, walking, climbing and sunbathing in the summer to ice climbing in the winter and all the snow sports you want for 3 months of the year. Visit: www.sunyulster.edu for more info...
A great place to update your skills and advance your ability within your sector. Always keep learning and making time to know all the current software and equipment. Short courses 97, 98, 01, 02, 04, 05
ASA Degree in Advertising Design & Graphic Technology from UCCC a State University of New York. 1 year A-level in Art & Design from South Trafford College Manchester 6 GCSE passes from Wellacre High School Numerous Courses: Dreamweaver, HTML, Flash, Advanced Indesign, Advanced Quark,First Aid, Fire Marshall, Health and Safety NVQ, Security NVQ, Telematics. I am full conversant with both Mac and PC and own both.
8 Caudwell Group 9 Impact Sign & Design 10 EasyKard 11 Wharfside 12 Crunch Bar 13 Photography 14 Web work Contact me either via email or on my mobile
E: ben@benquinton.com M: 07784825272
www.benquinton.com
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. . . e m i t n i y r o t s A brief Hi I was born in the South of England and we moved North to Manchester when I was three. I went to school in Stretford and finished up by doing an A-level in Art at South Trafford College Manchester. When I was seventeen I moved to New York to go to University and received a 2 year Associates Degree in Design from the State University of NY. After University I started working at a printing company (part of the second largest printing company in the world) with clients like Lowes, Walmart, and The New York Times. After two years there I moved back to England, living in Manchester once again since 1997. I have since worked for several companies doing design, including the 4th largest promotional merchandise company in the world where I worked as a graphics designer for 4 years. This was great as I was able to work for all the Fortune 100 companies which gave me a breadth of experience that I would never have gained if I was working for a single design firm. As a result I have worked on some of the largest accounts in the world and also some of the smallest, from creating full brand identities for part of the Caudwell Group (Phones 4U, PAS, LSG), to setting up print and signage for local restaurants. The smallest jobs I receive are to create letterheads and business cards, which can be fun as you get to design new logos and styles, but undertaking larger and more complex design challenges definitely produces more satisfaction and recognition. Although I loved living in New York I also love my home country and city. I enjoy travelling to new places which helps me to express things I see in my design and photography. My favourite cities in the world are New York, Paris, Amsterdam and London but I still have many more to see, so this may change. So far I have travelled in 24 of the States in the USA, all around Lake Ontario and Toronto Canada, The Dominican Republic, Paris and Brittany (France), Amsterdam, Dublin, Malta, Turkey, Morocco, and almost all of England, Scotland and Wales
The crazy thing is I hardly ever wear hats......
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1995-7
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Treasure Chest Advertising Company, Inc. Saugerties, New York
(TC Advertising), is the leading supplier in the United States of advertising inserts, newspaper supplements, and other advertising products and services for publishers and advertisers. With more than 20 production facilities located across the United States, TC Advertising produces more than 20 billion ad inserts every year and serves nearly 700 major clients nationwide. Its major markets include general retail, drugstore, grocery, home improvement, and specialist retail. TC Advertising also prints TV magazines, special supplements, Sunday magazines, and Sunday comics that newspapers use to build circulation. As a subsidiary of Big Flower Holdings, Inc., TC Advertising works with other Big Flower companies to provide clients with a complete range of advertising solutions and communications services. Toward the end of 1995 TC Advertising moved its executive offices from Glendora to Baltimore, Maryland. The move brought TC Advertising closer to the majority of its customers and plants, as well as nearer to its parent company, which was headquartered in New York City. Revenues for fiscal 1995 (ending June 30) were nearly $900 million, nearly doubling over the previous two years.
CMYK
Heat set press ( hardest printer to work on)
I started at TC after graduating University 1995. I took the role as a jogger, the lowest role on the press floor. I worked hard at learning all the ins and outs of how the press ran and was soon promoted to roll man, operating the paper supply for the press and making sure it kept running. I was training as a second pressman when I left and would have been the youngest second pressman by 15 years. I gained a great knowledge or print from this role which is invaluable to me as a designer. I also love the fact I got to work with robots on 3 of the presses and was in control of there production when on those presses. A good experience I will treasure.
How the press Works... The start of any press job begins at the back of the press with the huge 1.5 tonne rolls of paper being loaded onto hanging stands and fed into the festoons where they get stretched before being fed into the first tower. Inside the towers are 2 or 4 large drums that press ink onto the paper. One side of the drum will have a plate with the content in reverse etched onto it and the other drum will have what is called a blanked that transfers the plated image to the paper. Each Tower will have a different plate and different ink to create the full colour images and text. There were different numbers of towers on each press so they could be used for various jobs. The web (paper) would then be cut, folded and stitched, ready for stacking and then shipping. The stacking of the media would be done by the jogger or by a robot. There were normally 5 men working each press 2 joggers, 1 roll man, 1 second pressman and a pressman. All have vital jobs to keep the press running.
Festoons on a web press... This is where the paper starts its journey into the press. When the paper rips it tends to go here
You would not believe how fast the web runs
(you don’t want a paper cut at that speed)
The Royal Exchange Theatre is a seven-sided, glass-walled capsule, literally suspended from huge marble pillars situated in the Great Hall of the Exchange. The unique design means all seats are less than nine metres from the circular stage giving views from all angles.
The 1996 Manchester bombing was a bomb attack carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 15 June 1996 in Manchester, England. The bomb, placed in the city centre, targeted the city’s infrastructure and economy and caused widespread damage, estimated by insurers at £700 million (£900 million as of 2010). Two hundred and twelve people were injured, but there were no fatalities. Several buildings close to the epicentre of the explosion had to be demolished, and many more were closed for months for structural repairs. Most of the rebuilding work was completed by the end of 1999, at a cost of £1.2 billion, although redevelopment continued until 2005. At the time of the explosion Manchester was playing host to the Euro ‘96 football championships, with a match between Russia and Germany scheduled for the following day at Old Trafford, and the city had the year before won its bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The glass domes of the Corn Exchange and the Royal Exchange were blown in. The landlord of the Corn Exchange invoked a force majeure condition in the lease to evict all tenants, and the building was converted into a shopping centre. [53] The dome of the Royal Exchange, home to the theatre, was found to have shifted in the blast; its repair and refurbishment took two and a half years. My role at the Royal Exchange was to head the security team whilst all the redevelopment was being done. This was a temp role for me till I secured a full time design role but I got to be part of the re-birth of Manchester and meet some important and famous people whilst there. Working there was lots of fun as the contractors were always good for a laugh and was great to see the finished results of one of the nicest buildings in the area.
February 1998 - December 1999
DESIGNER
This was a good stepping stone back into design, with a constant change of client from restaurants, nightclubs and offices all over Manchester, to larger clients like the BBC and we produced ever sign for Manchester United when they were undergoing the stadium enlargement.
Sign Tip: Adding a border to your sign helps focus your customers’ attention so they can read it 26% faster. And by presenting special information in a second colour, you can increase your customers’ retention by 78%—and draw a better response.*
My role here was as the sign designer, creating all the artwork for proof and supply of final products. This was creating not only visual artwork but tech spec artwork ready for manufacture. I progressed to managing the shop and all new orders that came and also to hiring other staff for the production side of the business. I had to learn all the processes created by the fastsigns group to monitor sign sales, and all the marketing guides set by the franchise. I attended a few management courses whilst here and got a good understanding of both design management, order processes and customer and staff relations
www.fastsigns.com There are more than 550 independently owned and operated franchise locations worldwide. FASTSIGNS® operates directly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico. FASTSIGNS® also operates in Brazil under a master license agreement. In Australia, centres operate under the name SIGNWAVE®.
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My role with 4imprint was that of senior designer and team leader. I was in charge or the corporate design team which was a team of 5 designers. We dealt with all the corporate 100 companies and were integral in some large developments for them, like BT re-brand and the launch of the X-Box from Microsoft. As most of the larger corporate companies have a design agency working with them I was always dealing with the likes of ST Lukes, Ogilvy, Satchi and Satchi and many more... I liked this role as got to deal with such are large client base and with so many household brands. The role required me to have a working knowledge of all the brand guidelines and make sure everything was designed and printed to conform with requirements. Tasked with coming up with product ranges and new concepts for these clients was always fun but very demanding normally in a short space of time. I initiated a working procedures that is still used today and still keep in touch with colleagues and clients with whom I had a good relationship.
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Pantone 159 CV
Pantone 124 CV
Pantone 189 CV
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Pantone 363 CV
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Volkswagen Parts Club Merchandising 4imprint Bourne House, Lower Guildford Road Knaphill, Woking, Surrey GU21 2EH Telephone: 01483 795925 Fax: 01483 795926 All items in this catalogue are subject to change dependant on availability. VW-PCM01 © 2001 Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited
For the past 25 plus years, 4imprint, has always strived to be customer focused, flexible and of course commercial. We don’t court controversy, fashion or fame... we’re the support team for our customers – providing them with world class customer service and a cando attitude.
motorola v600 integrated camera. video playback. bluetooth wireless technology. quad band. declare your independance. fill your phone at hellomoto.com ™
MOTOROLA and the stylized M logo are registered in the US Patent & Trademark Office. The Bluetooth trademarks are owned by their proprietor and used by Motorola, Inc. under license. © 2003 Motorola, Inc. All rights reserved.
Our name is a reflection of our company. Concise, simple and effective. What we set out to do is to add something, anything, to the brands that we work with. Our solutions can be complex and sophisticated in their appearance, but at their heart we try and keep things simple. You tell us what you want to achieve and we’ll use our knowledge, experience and skills to get you there as efficiently as possible.
Above all we believe that our integrity and honest approach has been our most significant ingredient of success. We develop transparent and mutually beneficial relationships with our customers – where we try to partner with them to achieve their goals. Our area of expertise is in merchandise and packaging solutions, but our strength is our ability to service our customer’s needs – whatever they might be. Our design team is comprised of experts in brand management, photography, product, graphic, web and literature design.
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This exceptional mix of skills enables us to better understand our customers’ brands and translate them into creative and relevant product ideas which generate maximum impact. We believe the ongoing investment in this resource has been one of the most significant factors in our successful acquisition of new, and retention of existing, customers.
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half-an-apple design and photography
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I created half-an-apple as a solution to people always asking me to do work for them. I started doing logo design and basic brochures, flyers and easy solutions for a design need to end up taking on complete corporate re-designs and character creation for branding. This is not only fun but helps to keep my design varied and I have a great relationship with my clients. I have scaled down my freelance work over the past year to allow me more free time to learn Guitar, Snowboarding and move house. The clients I tend to work with are the smaller companies but has lead to some much bigger work. I actually met the MDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of EasyKard through doing their first logo design and promotional work with them nearly 3 years before I started to work with them full time. Green d a e h r e b My biggest issue with doing work for myself is that ool imary Sch Orrell CLoamm munity Pr Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m never happy with my brand identity... always PROJECT KAHN think it could be better but never get the time to Tueriurem irit pratis nibh work on doing it. I guess its like having the eu feum diat lutpat. Guer aliquisi. Equisl delesplumber who has a leak at home... core feu facin essequier aliquis molenis alis Thesit,pisdolumsandio W I enjoy working doing extra bits for design and h digna corem a rfside Portf zzrit augiam iniatum niao li metum enis dolore dolesed o hope to keep doing this and as well as getting a A superb dipis nit at wis deliquat. Tem iniam venis nim inmore varied experience would like to always be able opportunity cipis sequis eum dolorem delendre do conum zzrito acquire to push myself that little bit further and never get stale usci exeraese modio odipit dit ut laorperos non velit 16.9 acres in the ever changing world of graphic design and photography. velit, sit adip ex endrem
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www.half-an-apple.co.uk
Mobile Phone Insurance Tech Protect® Card Protection Identity Theft Key and lock solutions Airport lounges Discount schemes Concierge Demographic segmentation Consumer selection and fulfilment and the list keeps growing...
What do they Do? Lifestyle Services Group Limited (LSG) is the best in class provider of leading lifestyle solutions and insurance products. We specialise in supporting our client brands, attracting customers, improving the customer journey and reducing customer attrition rates.
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ensure the production of effective, creative communication. supply creative support to the Sales and Marketing department. undertake design and oversee the creative direction of projects within the design studio. ensure the delivery of design to agreed budgets and deadlines.
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liaise with Sales and Marketing to extract project brief for use in the design studio. liaise with Delivery to ensure design hits agreed deadlines and budgetary constraints. oversee the creative process and undertake and delegate work as required. maintain an up-to-date understanding of in-house and client’s corporate identity guidelines. maintain an archive of design projects, that is available for re-call and re-use. ensure design complies with FOS, FSA, BS and all related industry requirements.
Experience • • • • •
At least 5 years experience as a senior designer or art director role in a design studio setting, agency or in-house experience acceptable. Proven experience of working to corporate identity guidelines. Proven ability to create effective creative communications for above and/or below the line marketing campaigns and advertising. Proven ability in facilitating the design process from inception to delivery. A good knowledge of Apple Macintosh systems and a high level of ability with standard design packages: Quark/In-Design, Freehand/Illustrator and Photoshop.
• • • •
Knowledge of print production and buying. Experience with web design and new media . Experience in sourcing copy, photography and illustration. An awareness of current advertising and design trends and an interest in all creative disciplines.
Competencies • • • • • • •
Excellent written communication skills. Excellent presentation skills. Excellent people skills. Excellent project management skills. Self-starter ability to manage own workload and that of others, with a positive ‘can-do’ attitude. Comfortable working in a fast-paced, demanding environment, with an ability to juggle multiple projects and changing priorities. A passion for creative communication.
This was my actual job spec, I was in charge of a studio of 8 mixed designers for web, print animation and copy. I was brought in from day 1 to help create the brand and work with the existing clients. I helped to create a strong brand identity and awareness throughout the company and was key in some of the larger pitches to clients like Barclays and Virgin.
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Our portfolio includes Mobile Phone Insurance, Card Protection and Tech Protect®, all of which can be delivered using our innovative Hubb™ approach. The Hubb™ allows clients to seamlessly integrate a complete suite of products and services all accessed via one number. Since formation we have developed over 160 individual partner branded insurance schemes available to over 9.5 million customers. Our phenomenal but managed growth is a result of the company’s dynamism, desire to innovate and a “get it right” mentality. The approach is unique. Strategic partnerships (both client and supplier) are fundamental to the business and first mover advantage is achieved by a ground breaking delivery record. We challenge legacy supply chains to deliver more value for clients and customers. Continuous service improvement is controlled and analysed from feedback obtained via clients, customers and staff. Innovating, listening, monitoring, measuring, acting and improving is our route to continuous progression. Regulatory control is delivered via structured arrangements and a strong service ethos based on customer outcomes. Targeted and insightful sales and retention teams generate incremental income and life on behalf of our partners. Our heritage and cultural DNA is to make things happen for our clients and customers. Shared experience, consultation and delivered insights are all part of the scoping phase. Where LSG can add value they deliver. Everywhere else, LSG partner with the best or provide advice on alternate structures. This ensures clients and customers have one point of resolution for their complete solution. We are part of the 4u Group of companies, which comprises a number of organisations in the telecommunication and financial services market place. We were acquired by Providence Equity Partners Inc in 2006. It was at this point of job insecurity that I started looking for other work and found a new role just before the new owners were announced.
www.lifestylegroup.co.uk
April 2006 - November 2007
About Impact For the last 15 years Impact Signs and Design have been trading under a blue and magenta guise, but with the start of the new year and to celebrate their 15th year anniversary they have re-branded. They have chosen a brighter approach to help emphasise what they do. The bright green is to help represent the fresh approach and the blue is to represent new ideas (blue sky). It is a bit like a rite of passage for Impact as they have grown from a small business making bespoke number plates and small signs to a well respected well oiled signage firm. The business has large premises on Atlantic Street in Altrincham with sales, design, production and installation departments all running at a steady pace. When asked about his business Craig Hill managing director said â&#x20AC;&#x153; Over the years we have generated a great client portfolio, all of which we have a good relationship with. We take pride in knowing we have our work all over the Cheshire and Manchester area, which is great when people ask to see examples of our work, we can just tell them a nearby street or point them to our website. We have done work for some of the biggest developers around at the moment and can fullfill all the signage need sthey have from large external signs to all the internal signage. The history of signage is hundreds of years of a steady hand and brush then in the past 15-20 years everything went digital and is all computer based. Everything is cut out or produced on hi-tech plotters or large printers, signs no longer have the old limitations they once had. The days of 1 man signage companies are almost all gone; to get the desired result you need to have a full force of electrical gadgets and a full computer design department to plan and create it all. Impact has everything you need, a large print room and a large plotter room, then 2 very large workshop areas and a design office that all worktogether to produce high quality finished products to meet any criteria.
Tel: 0161 929 9594 Fax: 0161 929 9597 Sales@impact-signs.co.uk www.impact-signs.co.uk
Shop fascia signage Frame signs Tray signs Flat-cut letters Bespoke signs Built-up letters Post signs Safety signs Tactile signs Directory signs Illuminated Lightbox signs Projecting swing signs Halo illuminated letters Window graphics Cable systems Point of sale graphics Vehicle branding A-Boards Banners Plaques Internal office signs Way finding signs In-house full colour printing In-house installation team In-design department
My role was to come in and do a redesign of the brand, get photgraphic examples and design new layouts for signage. This was a fun fast pasted varied role dealing with small signage jobs to helping create brands for new companioes and all their signage and design requirements such as literature, menus, business cards, and other marketing materials. The role was extended to doing much more print based jobs whilst I was there and expanded with the growth of the team to 14 employees. I feel I helped with the progression of the company and have a strong friendship with all the staff there and help out with any issues they have. I try to use the company for signage needs as know the strong ethics they work under and the high quality they produce.
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Impact signs & design Ltd Atlantic Business Park Atlantic Street, Altrincham Cheshire WA14 5NQ
M.D. Craig Hill with new installation van with new brand design
EasyKard was established in 2004 to fill a gap in the financial market for people who wanted more control over their money but for whatever reason might not have had a bank account or access to a switch card. There was an obvious need for this service and a few companies jumped at the same time to provide a similar service. I was hired to create the corporate Id through half-an-apple which I gladly did and kept in touch providing design services as needed until there was a need for a full time designer and they called me in for an interview. I started work for EasyKard in November 2007 primarily designing pre-pay cards and business literature for clients. The role grew very quickly to doing a full range of design from stationery, proposals, brochures, websites, fulfilment packs, stands for shows, merchandise, office designs, vehicle livery, legal document design, marketing material for newspapers and magazines, corporate guidelines for all the international offices, print and supply of all materials requested. This became a
very demanding role in less than three months and only seemed to keep growing. We brought in two web developers to help with all the sites we were doing and a junior designer to help with the ever increasing work load. The company turned from one office in the UK to a multi- national business with a 600% increase in staff and a much larger client base. My main demand was for client proposals as getting the bigger client was always on the list. We managed to do work with some of the major companies from around the globe and still maintain a working relationship with many of them even after the majority of the business was sold off in December 2009. EasyKard became a small part of Wharfside Holdings which became the parent group for a number of companies that had been set up to coincide with the business relations from EasyKard. www.easykard.co.uk www.easykardplc.com
THE pre-paid card solution
Wharfside was the next evolution from the guys who set up EasyKard 4 years earlier. It seemed like the natural progression from the banking systems they were setting up to offer an investment system for people to secure their money. With the relationships already in place from EasyKard this was quite an easy transition and able to be adapted easily for all the offices globally. The actual product range grew 10 fold almost over night which was crazy to say the least. There was a large demand on design for each product and then it also needed to adapt for each office. Just the set up of the group and basics was a large amount of work with, stationery brochures, websites, marketing material, email campaigns, and display stands for financial shows. With offices in the UK, Sweden, Spain, Honk Kong, Australia, USA, Seychelles and New Zealand it became a full 24 hour service as 1 office would cover the off hours of any other. This meant that every day work was waiting the second I arrived to add to the never ending list. This was the most demanding time and had to have another designer come in to help with some of the more basic daily jobs that were starting to back up. I also got another designer in to help with some website designs, whilst I was working on a large show planned for Sweden with over 100k worth of merchandise and brochures.
Wharfside
At the end of 2009 it was announced that parts of the business were being sold off to further advancement on selected areas. This meant that there were a few redundancies and a relocation of offices, but was a more logical direction. Spain, Australia, New Zealand and part of the Swedish branch were sold and the rest adapted to the Directors new plans. The Seychelles became a larger part of the company, housing a larger office and financial centre for Wharfside Holdings. Wharfside Holdings consists of 7 companies including EasyKard which has been down graded to a smaller service offered to some corporate investors although is still trading to its existing members. Most of the design for Wharfside is business prospectusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketing material, show stands, merchandise and brochures. The design may take 2 weeks for a brochure but then there are 10 weeks worth of amends from the legal team and implementation on their own text to make it completely correct. The more programs we create the more brochures we produce and the more upgrades we add to each previous one. All brochures are produced for the web, pdf download and also basic print and presentation print.
Est December 2008
Posters and flyers, poster ranging from A4 up to 60â&#x20AC;? x 40â&#x20AC;? and everything in between.
When your boss comes to you and says that he has done something that will be lots of fun for you, your first thoughts are? ye well him buying a 3 storey bar in Manchester City Centre was not one of the things on my list... It was to be a project that has kept growing as the parts of the place get developed. At opening there was just 1 floor fully done with an over flow to an upper floor and the lower level was just the toilets. After many discussions there was a plan... The top floor was to become a restaurant the ground floor to stay as a bar but with complete layout change and upgrade and the lower basement level to be converted to a dance and bar area (not allowed to call it a night club for political reasons. The amount of work on top of everything else going on was huge... from signage to all the posters, flyers, banners, magazine spreads, advertising in and out of the bar, menus, uniforms, sellable t-shirts, stickers, pens, window graphics, table designs, planning application mock-ups, emergency signage. Most of this was a 1 shot deal luckily but all the posters change monthly along with magazines and flyers. There are approx 60 posters on the 3 floors and all are printed in house. The restaurant is undergoing a complete change at the moment as was not doing as well as expected so there is lots going on for that also at the min. This has been a learning curve for me as have been more corporate with my design in the past so have enjoyed that part of it, even though my mates make fun of me for looking at half naked men for a big part of my day. There was a lot of photography involved in this for print and also for the website. Although the restaurant was not a financial success it looked great and was talked about as being cool, just not great food... www.crunchbar.co.uk
There is always at least 1 event every month with 2-3-4 in the summer months and all require marketing and advertising to show what your bar is doing compared to the rest of Canal street. The Gay village is a very competative area for all the bars.
FLASH
INTERACTIVE DESIGN
HTML
WEBSITES
ONLINE
CSS DREAMWEAVER
I am always learning and pushing myself to be the best I can be, I hope that all the companies I have worked with would say that I was a good employee and helped to develop the role I was in and fulfilled all the requirements to the highest standards. For references just ask and I will send details of some of the MDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I have worked for and other people I have worked with. To discuss any opportunity please just get in touch...
E: ben@benquinton.com or M: 07784825272
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