CREATIVE DESIGN AND GOOD MESSAGING – NOT SUCH A TALL ORDER FOR THIS A GENTLE GIANT
Nick Hutchison-Smith describes the last two years at Craveable Brands* as some of the most exciting of his career. As Creative Lead & Design Studio Manager, Nick has been instrumental in introducing clarity and consistency into brand messaging through visual communications, in turn, breathing new life into initiatives and campaigns and helping to drive up sales and engagement.
Nick and his team of creatives are responsible for developing and providing the engaging visuals for marketing Craveable’s brands. They work closely with the marketing team and external agencies to elevate the brands and products in the consumer space. From the creation of animated digital menu boards, to the rollout of major campaigns across all mediums – all of this will cross by Nick’s desk.
“I really love bringing our brand messages to life as well as the variety of working on three different brands across the platforms of print, digital and social media,” he says. “There’s also been a great opportunity for learning here. Unlike other brands who may roll out a product or campaign once a year, we work in a fast and dynamic business where new and exciting initiatives are a regular occurrence. In the fact, there’s we work on major campaigns quarterly for all brands.”
All about working with dedicated professionals
“It’s rewarding to work on such fantastic brands and being surrounded by so many talented people at Craveable. I’m very lucky to be in a company where people are passionate and dedicated to ensuring our products are at their best before they hit the market.”
A qualified graphic designer by trade, Nick has spent most of his career working on notable children’s magazines for Disney, Pixar, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. However, with the down turn in magazines, he had to realign himself in a new market and so landed at Craveable.
“The downturn of magazines really showed me you have to be responsive to change,” he admits. “However, it proved a blessing in disguise as my job here has been so rewarding. You really need to just keep looking around corners and embracing new opportunities however and wherever they arise.”
Having built the in-house design team from scratch and streamlined key processes, Nick says his department no longer have to rely so much on third party contractors and as a result, the business is all the better for it.
“One of the advantages of working in-house is that you become very closely aligned to the brands and their goals. You get to share in the success of those brands, and their success is your success. That’s a level of professional satisfaction that you don’t always get as a third-party provider.”
RESOURCEFUL – CREATIVE – TALL
Nick wants to continue working in the design arena and closely monitors new trends.
“I tend to research businesses in industries that have parallels with our brands. Specially, I like to evaluate how they are travelling and communicating with their customers. I think you always have to be on the forefront of what is new in the industry in order to stay ahead of the competition. We have a lot of scope for our design studio to grow and we will continue to provide on-trend design and initiatives in the coming years.”
A dad to two young kids, Nick likes spending time with his family, his dog and playing a bit of touch rugby now and then. And despite standing at a towering 6 foot 5, he is really a big kid at heart.
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* Craveable Brands is the owner operator of Red Rooster, Oporto and Chicken Treat