Graphic designers and consultants have, like most sectors, had to look at their overheads over recent times. Ten years ago, the directories were packed full of heavily staffed consultancies but those are now few and far between. Good designers have moved with the times. We talk to Canton based designer Darren Witts.
Darren with Caroline Challoner, Director of Cazbah
Home Office Who are you and what do you do? I am Darren Witts and I own Treganna Design, a graphic design agency in Canton, Cardiff.
How is business? It’s good. Considering the current climate, I was expecting the last two years to have been the most challenging since I started, but surprising they have been my busiest. I have worked hard to establish a solid client base who have been very loyal and have told others about Treganna Design. How long have you been self-employed? Having worked in the industry for seven years, I became freelance in 2006. It really did feel like a sink or swim situation, so I decided to get out there and get business in. I have never looked back. Working freelance gave me the opportunity to work in a number of other agencies, picking up invaluable varied experience along the way. It was this that made me decide to set up Treganna Design three years ago, and making the conscious decision to base myself at home in Canton.
Have your been formally trained and what qualifications do you have? I completed a HND in Graphic Design at Falmouth University, where I was utterly spoilt for inspiration… fantastic beaches and gardens with palm trees surrounded our studio! I then completed to Degree level in Maidstone in Kent, which was somewhat less uplifting. I still pack the car and go back to Cornwall as often as possible, where my stress levels evaporate as soon as I see the sea!
How do you find working from home? I love it. I have been able to make my job work around my life, rather than the other way around, and it is a good balance. Office politics are a thing of the past and I can get my head down and do the job I’m being paid for without any distractions. Of course, sometimes I feel like Shirley Valentine talking to my wall, but when this happens I get out of the house and head for Chapter Arts Centre for a strong coffee with my laptop! 16
To be honest, I work with so many people on a daily basis, either visiting or speaking to clients on the phone, I don’t get much time to dwell on any negatives and I always have my dog Barney here in the day to keep me company and bounce ideas off!
“ Word of mouth has been invaluable in getting my name out there, and I think people tend to ‘buy in’ to a person when they are recommended.”