Following a rebrand, unLTD spoke with James Lowe about his long and fruitful career in the world of graphic design and what his new collaborative venture Lowe&Co is all about…
Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do…
I’m James Lowe. I’ve been a graphic designer since 2008 and I’ve been self-employed since 2012. I really like to go further, look deeper, and find meaning in things – so that the work I produce resonates with its intended audience.
How did you get into graphic design?
Going back to my early school days, I always had a flair for Art and Design. After university I shelved my design aspirations and worked in call centres.
After a year or so, I started putting a portfolio together and managed to bag a part-time job at a small web design company based in Kelham Island. Mostly, it was making tea and doing admin, but they’d let me have a go at some project work from time to time. This gradually became more frequent, until I was their sole in-house designer.
I’m still very grateful for that opportunity, as it gave me the opportunity to be an actual designer in an actual company working for actual clients!
So, freelance seemed like the next best step?
Around 2012, I started to get itchy feet. My grandad passed away that year and left me a small inheritance. This was the safety net I needed to make the leap into the unknown.
I spent the first year or so scratching away at local leads that came from friends and family.
My first proper paid gig was designing an issue of Exposed magazine in 2013. My next main job came from a Sheffield-based design agency called Peter & Paul, who needed some freelance support. This arrangement ended up lasting 5 years and really helped me get my feet under the table as a trusted designer in Sheffield.
At the same time, I did some agency-based freelance work with the likes of Jaywing and The Cafeteria. I also managed to work with some great clients of my own, like Sheffield DocFest, Crafts Council, The Children’s Hospital Charity, National Videogame Museum and Sheffield United FC to name a few.
Any favourite projects you’ve worked on to date?
My work with Sheffield DocFest has been my longest-lasting project to date. Apart from 2021, I have designed their catalogue and most other public-facing deliverables every year since 2015.
The work is intense, and the deadlines are tight, but seeing the work go up all over the city and watching people from all over the world interact with my design work is always a satisfying experience – the people are great too.
Are you working on anything exciting at the minute?
I’m currently working on a collaborative visual communication project for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We’re trying to make important and hard-to-digest information more accessible and appealing to users of the service.
These things typically tend to be dry and unappealing. Pages and pages of technical text are not always what a person needs when they’re going through a stressful time. We don’t think it has to be that way. A human tone of voice, calming visuals and friendly typography can go a long way.
What inspired you to start Lowe&Co?
Lowe&Co is my latest venture. I’m trying to slowly move away from being a freelancer for other design agencies and move towards gaining more of my own clients – and the kinds of clients that I really want to work with.
Starting a fully formed agency is daunting and expensive and I’m not quite there just yet. Lowe&Co is more of a collaborative of creative and technical minds, each with years of experience. Between us, we can offer the same level of service as most agencies and always get the right people on the job without the need for expensive overheads.
Our services aren’t just limited to graphic design – collaborators have experience within several fields, including copywriting, illustration, research, web development, photography, animation and music composition. I figured that I’d never be able to wear all these hats on my own, so collaboration seemed like a logical step forward.
What do you see for the future of Lowe&Co?
I’d like Lowe&Co to move towards working primarily for clients within the arts, health and charity sectors, as well as some forward-thinking not-for-profits.
I’m a firm believer that design can help to change the world for the better – but working for huge international corporations just won’t do that. There are a handful of designers and agencies that are well-known and respected for doing great work for well-meaning organisations, and I hope to be included in that list one day.
Right now, I’m looking to broaden my horizons and work with as many new people and organisations as possible. I’m looking for interesting and challenging projects – bland brands that need a hand. Clients that want to be pushed and who acknowledge that they don’t know the answers. If your brand needs some help, I’d love to have a chat and see how Lowe&Co can help.
For more information or to see some previous work, visit www.loweandco.uk or for enquiries email james@loweandco.uk.
