Remember those New Year’s promises you made in January? Read more books, upskill in marketing and go to the gym more. You know, those false promises? Well, it’s September. And in the marketing world, September is basically the start of Christmas. Black Friday sales, Christmas campaigns and the dreaded end-of-year report.
To keep up with this madness, we’ve been growing our team. More of our clients seek high-quality website design, strong branding and stand-out creatives. So, we hired Gary Hanna to expand our design team as Head of Design. Not only is he a design expert, but he’s a master at balancing *anything* on his nose. That’s how he won us over. We only accept magicians at Trio. 👀
Stick around and hear more from Gary. Learn about his day-to-day role, interests and top tips for getting into design.
What is your day-to-day role at Trio Media?
As the Head of Design, I oversee all new design projects. This includes website design, branding development, paid social ad creatives and anything that needs a design touch.
Trio is a powerhouse for website development, design, maintenance and hosting. I’ve joined the team to support them in all design aspects. I also plan on refreshing Trio’s brand to be bigger, bolder and more reflective of who we are. Revolutionary marketing for evolutionary brands.
What did you use to do before joining Trio?
I worked as a freelance branding and digital designer for the last year and a half. I designed websites for small start-up brands and supported in-house marketing teams on digital design, print and branding projects.
Before this, I’ve worked with other branding and digital marketing agencies. One of my favourite memories was working with Fifa and visiting their HQ in Zurich.
What are some of your interests outside of work?
Music is a big passion of mine. I love electronic, funk, soul, and hip-hop music and enjoy an occasional gig or festival. I’m married with two children, aged 8 and 11, who occupy most of my spare time. We usually spend most weekends involved in some sort of family activity. We’ve been here, there and everywhere during the summer holidays!
I also enjoy sports and anything creative. When I have time, I tinker with my personal design projects, including digital art and print.
What made you want to get into design?
I originally studied art and I’ve always been creative but had found myself on a different path career-wise. So, after getting married, I thought, “Let’s do something I love”. It was then that I invested in my future and retrained in graphic design.
During my second stint in higher education, I worked on exciting design projects in London and Leeds to boost my skills and knowledge. These placements cultivated my love for the craft of graphic design.
What have you enjoyed about working at Trio so far?
Being freelance meant I missed out on office talk and getting to know other team members at a greater level. It feels good to wave goodbye to my home office and say hello to Trio. I’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone and seeing how the team is so invested in each other and the clients.
The vibe at Trio is excellent, too. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
What advice would you give to someone working in design?
If you want to be a designer, surround yourself with creative work. Get absorbed in the creative world – consume blogs, design and artwork and bank it for future reference. The more formats you see, the better your decisions will be when approaching work.
Another point I’d raise is that you should strive to improve. Constantly create, improve old work and get feedback for improvement. During my years, I learnt that your work will never be perfect. Keep pushing yourself for something better. Because you will achieve it. It just takes time, practice and motivation.
That’s all from Gary. Head to our next meet the team blog introducing Sophie, our new Marketing Executive.
If you want stand-out design that catches attention and drives results, contact Trio Media. We’re an award-winning digital marketing agency that’ll get you results. Contact our team or call us at 0113 733 2020 to learn how we can help you.
