Abi’s journey to Partnership Design

When people ask what we do at Partnership Design, I always say we create standout brands, unforgettable experiences, and lasting partnerships.

With over 30 years of experience, we’re a close-knit team delivering large-scale, industry-leading events and creative solutions for ambitious clients across the UK, Europe and the USA. From showstopping exhibition stands to highimpact websites and business-boosting campaigns, we’re hands-on from concept to completion – always striving to exceed expectations.

I still remember the summer evening when Amy and I met at the Red House restaurant in Chester to discuss joining PDL and eventually running the business as Dad was gently persuaded to slow down.

My career hadn’t started in design. After university, I worked at Granada Television in live TV before moving into scheduling. When the channel I worked on closed,

I joined a digital agency and worked my way from Junior to Senior Project Manager. It was stressful but rewarding, teaching me how to juggle multiple projects, manage a team, and develop websites for major tourism destinations – skills that brought me closer to Dad’s world of design.

I had always grown up surrounded by creativity, watching my dad and brother sketch while learning from my parents’ hard work building PDL. So when Mum and Dad suggested I join the business and work alongside Amy, I felt proud and grateful. Ironically, just a few years earlier I had been Amy’s wedding make-up artist - neither of us knowing we’d later become business partners.

From day one, Amy and I were a team. With my PM experience and her design eye, we complemented each other.

Determined to prove myself, I didn’t take a salary for the first year, earning the team’s trust while introducing processes and supporting Dad’s clients, including one of his main clients, Nutricia. Travelling with him to congresses, I saw first-hand how he nurtured relationships and went to extraordinary lengths to make clients “shine like stars.”

Today, Nutricia remains my main account, and for me, a deeply personal one, as their products supported Dad in hospital after his stroke in 2019, giving us precious extra time.

PDL is now everything Dad strived forloyal, creative, and client-focused. With me being based in the US, I’m excited to expand our reach further with Amy and the team, continuing the journey Dad began almost 35 years ago.