Hello from me.
hello, internet!
For the last 8 months, I’ve promised myself I will re-do my website. It’s not so good when you don’t practice what you preach, is it?
Although, being fully booked and prioritising clients is not a bad thing I suppose.
This first blog post will just be a little hello from me, and a little bit about how I am where I am today. After this, the rest of the posts will be design focused. Some might be based things I’ve found inspiring, some might be little tutorials or coding, or things that I’m currently loving from other designers and makers.
about me
I’m Ruth, I live in Tooting in South West London and I’m an all-round-creative but the easiest way to describe it would be ‘graphic designer’. I have two Miniature Dachshunds called Jeff and Beef, and a British Shorthair cat called Luna.
design journey
My design journey hasn’t been a straightforward path as I had imagined when I was younger… but I’m happy with the way things have rolled out for me.
After doing my foundation degree back home in Sheffield in Fashion & Textiles, I applied to go to University in London. After spending a whole year building my portfolio, I decided a week before my interview for LCF that I didn’t actually want to go to University, but instead just move to London. I said to myself “if someone asks me for a degree, then I’ll go and get one”. 10 years later, nobody has asked me for my degree - and I am fully booked.
I started working in makeup, as it allowed me an opportunity to sink into London life and be creative all day with no commitments. I really liked that in makeup, you can create something amazing and wash it off, and start again. I find sometimes working in Graphic Design can be difficult if you have a day where you’re not inspired, as most work is project-based and a bigger commitment. Makeup allows you to be free and fun - even if it’s only for 5 minutes. It was also really rewarding making people feel confident and beautiful.
I worked in makeup for 8 years, slowly forgetting how to use Photoshop and quite frankly becoming a bit of a dinosaur. My Macbook from 2009 wasn’t cutting it anymore, and my Nikon D7000 felt clunky. I felt like the new kid on the block again. Inexperienced, and a huge case of imposter syndrome.
covid-19 pandemic
When the pandemic started in March 2020, I was working as a Senior Makeup Artist for NARS across London. We got sent home on furlough. My partner Dave, who is a fishmonger started his own business doing pop-ups in our local area as a bit of fun during lockdown. Little did we know, that the business would really blow up and would become our lives. I decided to quit my job in July 2020, and invest into Life Of Fish with Dave.
Two years later, we have three shops across South West London and a thriving online business.
I do all of the design stuff, and Dave does all the fish stuff.
unexpected design opportunities
Through having a beautifully designed retail space (biased, I know)… I was able to attract a variety of client who were based in London who were looking for a graphic designer. They reached out to Life Of Fish to ask for contact details for the designer, little did they know it was me! I took on my first design client in August 2020, and have been fully booked since.
my dream design life
I feel extremely lucky to have worked with such a diverse range of clients, all of which are lovely and based locally. From Chiropractors to Florists, Fishmongers to Candle Makers.. I am so happy to be working with passionate independent founders and makers.
Wanna work together? I’d love to.