Brand & Creative: A week in the life of Carrie

Carrie
By Carrie Gregory
September 2022
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Carrie and Gail in the studio

I’m Carrie, and I’m a graphic designer in the Brand and Creative team. One of the things I love about agency life is no week is the same…

Monday
I start earlier than most of the team, so when I arrive at the studio at 8am, I’m usually the first in. That means the Sonos is all mine for an hour. I stick on the new Porridge Radio, and spend an hour clearing emails and formulating the week’s to-do list.

At 10am every Monday, the Brand & Creative team meets for our weekly catchup. We all go through our current workload, and figure out where the opportunities and challenges lie. We all have a couple of clients we work on regularly, but we have to be agile if a new creative brief or pitch comes in, and this meeting helps us suss out how we’re going to fit any new briefs around planned ones. My week looks pretty full with a balance of client work and a new brand to build.

Tuesday
I have a half day blocked out to work on some assets for one of our university clients, which is preparing for a series of catch-up graduations for those who missed out during covid. We recently created a brand new identity for graduation, so it’s exciting to also be part of the roll out across all the deliverables.

This afternoon, I need to turn my attention to some brand work for a new client. We’re working with a major player in the automotive industry on rationalising their brand as they look to take their business to the next level, and enhance their global presence. It’s quite possibly the tightest turnaround for a brand we’ve ever created at Fluid, and it’s great to see the wider team pull together to build something special for them.

Wednesday
As we get closer to the deadline to present our brand ideas to GardX, Ed, Jamie and I decide to lock ourselves away in the boardroom so we can sprint to the finish line distraction-free. Being able to bounce ideas round in person feels like a much-missed luxury in a post-lockdown world. And a tight deadline is always good to get that adrenaline flowing. By the end of the day, we’re feeling pretty confident in what we have created. Ed will present it to the client tomorrow. Doesn’t stop the butterflies though.

Thursday
On my agenda today are some digital assets for a university client of ours, who want to celebrate a ranking they have achieved. I’ve decided to work from home so I can concentrate on ploughing through the list, as it’s a time sensitive job. It gives me a warm feeling to see our clients being recognised for their strengths.

It’s also a nerve-wracking morning waiting to hear from Ed and how he got on with presenting the brand we’ve been crafting. It’s relieving to finally hear that the client is super-pleased! Now we’ve got a couple of weeks to get it ready to present to the wider company at their annual conference.

I've also got to set aside to time to plan the new Fluid email that we send out every month to clients and prospects, which is a round-up of what we've all collectively been up to. It's a chance to showcase some proud projects, share our thought-leadership on industry-centric topics, and shout about any exciting agency news, like award nominations or team updates.

Last on the list for today is an internal meeting with the Accountability team which I am part of. The team is responsible for overseeing Wellbeing, Partnerships, Working, Marketing, Finances and Development. The aim is that we’re responsible (with the help of the wider team) to get stuff done. My area of responsibility is Marketing. We meet every other week to share progress, ideas and challenges. I dial in and we have a productive catch-up.

Friday
….and relax! Having recently returned from maternity leave, I’m currently working a four-day week, so my Fridays are usually spent getting outdoors with my curious little toddler.

My weeks can often feel like a whirlwind,  and it pays to be agile, but I enjoy getting stuck into the different aspects of my role and general agency life.