Nico Klynsmith – Portfolio

Senior

Creative

Brand Designer | Creative | Artist | Illustrator | Web Developer

A pioneering, influential and ambitious Design Director, bringing an invaluable combination of strategic insight and operational delivery within the field of Web Design, Graphic Design & Branding. Creates and takes ownership of brands from start to finish, translating creative strategy into compelling campaigns and business performance.

A conceptual visionary who is a rare hybrid of creative and technician, seamlessly switching from producing complex graphics to building tech websites and infographics. Believes in punching above your weight, being inspired to do better.

A curator and motivator of high-performing in-house creative teams, with the willingness and capability to be hands-on in delivering solutions to clients. A deep understanding of brand, visual design, writing and UX design, making a strong individual contribution as well as driving team success.

Nico Klynsmith

Contact

Work experience

15+ Years

Managerial experience

Managed teams of up to fifteen professionals with various disciplines

Brand experience

Worked with a range of global and smaller brands worldwide

Technology: Verizon, Vestel, LG, CDS, Sabre, VCE, VMware, Bridewell Consulting, Unique Corporate
Finance: UBS Bank,Nationwide Bank, Lloyds Bank, Mastercard, Stern Steward & Co, Alsana Group
Retail: Asda, Waitrose, Tesco, Catcom International
Charity: Thames Valley Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support, Berkhire Vision, No5 Young People, Green Economics Institute
Hospitality: Merchant Hotels, LeManoir, Grange Hotels
Leisure & Travel: British Airways, easyGroup, Heineken, Sodexo, Stan James, The Trip Group
Media: Ogilvy, WPP, Mediacom
Government: NHS, Shinfield Parish Council, Norfolk County Council
Automotive: BMW, Autoglass
Sport: Reading FC, Brighton & Hove FC, SMBC, The Fitness Experts

Software knowledge

Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Invision, Affinity by Serif, Procreate, Office 365, Gsuite, IPTV, HTML, CSS, Low code/ No-Code

Languages

English, Afrikaans, beginner Dutch, beginner Spanish

Key Skills

Work Experience

2008 – 2022

Creative Director & Art Director

Kreatif Design, UK

Multi-service agency, delivering brand and marketing consultancy services.
Brand identity, web & UX services for national and international clients.
Consultancy projects/campaigns include:

British Airways, France & UK: Brand Consultant 2019-2022

Leading growth & development strategy as well as art and design direction. Creating brand identity design and UX design. Working closely with the client, team and external developers and designers to create an intranet, including creating a design management system.
Currently developing a new social product for British Airways Staff to communicate and stay engaged.

Heartstyles, UK: Art Direction 2021-2022

Concept development and visual design direction for the Heartstyles Indicator test. Collaborating with stakeholders and multi-functional longitudinal team to create digital interface for Yum Group staff surveys. Running design sprints for UX design, creating design system, user onboarding, journey mapping, user research and interviews.

Verizon, UK: Art Director & Design Consultant 2014 – 2016

Setting out visual directions, overseeing a broad spectrum of projects ranging from digital signage to environmental design. Working collaboratively with the client’s marketing and finance teams, managing project scope, budget and external suppliers and technicians.

Ogilvy, UK: Designer & Consultant 2012 – 2014

Freelance concept development and art direction across a range of projects. The commercially sensitive nature of these projects precludes the inclusion of specific project details. However, they all involved working with major global brands, creating sales collateral.

2005 – 2008

Design Lead

Xacca Solutions, UK

Managed a wide range of projects, from business stationery to full-scale branding/marketing campaigns. Managed larger-scale projects by outsourcing to specialist suppliers and service providers, requiring strong team management and strict budget control.

2004 – 2005

Retail Manager / Graphic Designer

Printinco, UK

Brand designer for a small print & design company. Creating marketing and print material for both SME and corporate clients, handling projects with varying timescales and budgets. Managing, training and motivating a small team to deliver outstanding results.

Education

2006 – 2007

University of West London

MA in Digital Arts

2000 – 2004

Vaal University of Technology

BA (Hons) in Graphic Design

Other Accomplishments & Interests

2020 – 2022

Digital Transformation Advisor

Norfolk County Council GoDigital EU funding project, UK

Consultation and coaching SMEs through the process of digital transformation. Providing audits, building digital marketing strategy plans, securing funding and assisting in implementation sourcing

2016 – 2022

Founder/Director

Octavius Capital Limited

Octavius Capital Limited (Octavius) is a boutique financial advisory, management consulting and private equity firm focused on high net worth individuals and family offices whose assets portfolios are spread around the world.

2018 - 2019

Business Advisor

Young Enterprise Business Advisor

In 2017/18 YE delivered 315,000+ learner experiences with young people aged 4 – 25 across England and Wales. Integral to what we do are nearly 6,000 of our business volunteers who share their experiences of industry in the classroom and support young people to develop their own skills.

Hobbies & About me

Stuff I love!

Cartooning & Illustration, PC Gaming, Fitness, Raspberry Pi, Brewing Homemade Beer, Building custom Lego creations, Digital Photography

Client Feedback

“I’ve really enjoyed working with Nick, and the experience has been a learning curve. His assistance extended beyond just design. He has helped us with strategic input and ideas on how to integrate the community.”

“At the outset, I had no idea of what building a website involved: I didn’t realise it would be so collaborative, that we’d be working together for so long – and I certainly hadn’t appreciated the importance of a good working relationship between client and designer.”

“Working with Nick is an easy and enjoyable experience. When I first met with him to explain my vision and what I wanted to achieve, he was very good at helping me manage my expectations. He explained that while all the things I was asking for were certainly achievable, it would be sensible to take a phased approach to the project, beginning by getting the foundations right for a robust site that would ensure longevity.”

“The great thing about Nick is that he understands our brand and what we stand for perfectly. We knew we could trust him to deliver a great result, and as well as meeting all our objectives, Kreatif’s solution has helped us turn a challenge into an opportunity!”

“Managing a busy client-focused business means that finding time to spend on my website and marketing isn’t easy, but Kreatif help maximise what time I do have. By asking the right questions, they understand my business and know what it is I want to achieve. Kreatif are now part of the HR Central team: I plan to continue using them as my business grows and will happily recommend them to my trusted network.”

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