18 - Alumni Spotlight: Louis Downs
Louis Downs, Class of 2005 Louis left Trinity to study advertising and brand management at the University for the Creative Arts. His career has seen him specialise in product development, brand communication, web design and development, online strategy, branding, advertising, book publishing and marketing strategy. He also spent 14 years as both a board member and as Chair for Young Enterprise Croydon, a charity that motivates young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need. He is now a Director at CMA Creative Solutions Ltd. We caught up with Louis to find out about life since Trinity. We’re celebrating 30 years of the Shaw building which houses the art and DT departments. How did the facilities there contribute to your creative and practical skills development during your time at Trinity? The Art and Design Technology departments were fantastic spaces. The access to resources and materials, the expertise of the staff, and the enthusiasm of the school as a whole towards the development of these creative skills encouraged me to embrace the various creative and design subjects that were taught to such a high level at Trinity. I still use many of the practical design and making skills I learned
when manufacturing scale models and miniatures. Which Trinity teachers shaped your interests and career aspirations and how did they inspire you? I have fond memories of so many strong positive characters, especially Miss Rogers, Mr Glyn, everyone in the Art and Photography department, Mr Chesney and the DT department. Mr Case, my tutor, was hugely patient and supportive. There were also many experienced maths, RS, English and sports department staff who championed students. The business and economics teachers
involved with Young Enterprise also played a significant role in directing my interest. Which experiences did you have at Trinity that shaped your outlook on life? Trinity offered me a huge breadth of unrestricted learning opportunities – you didn’t have to study history to get involved with the Model United Nations, or choose business A level to take part in Young Enterprise, or be a physics student to visit CERN. I did all three. I also took a hiking and canoeing trip to Yukon and Alaska, which was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
