meet our team:
Jake Booth
Jake Booth joined the Kingdom & Sparrow team as a designer in March this year. After a busy spring and summer, we finally had a chance to sit down and learn more about Jake’s journey to becoming a graphic designer and why food and drink are a big part of why he loves living in Cornwall.
What brought you to the Kingdom & Sparrow team?
Since studying Fine Art at Falmouth University, Kingdom & Sparrow have always been on my radar of agencies that I’d love to work for one day. After my degree, I returned to Surrey for a few years to be closer to family, but we always had a 5 year plan to come back to Falmouth and hopefully work for K&S. With a background in fine art and illustration, one of things that attracted me most to Kingdom & Sparrow was its reputation for craft, creativity and the fact that (nearly) everything is done in-house, which is very different to what I’ve experienced in other agencies, which have been much more digitally-led.
What was your route into a design career?
I’ve always been very creative and I spent a lot of my early childhood doing arts and crafts with my grandparents while my parents were at work. Throughout school, art was always my favourite subject and I found the self-exploration and development process really clicked with my brain more than anything academic. At age 16, I went on to do a combined art course at college before applying to Falmouth University to study Fine Art. It was during my final year that I started looking at possible job opportunities within the creative industry and signed up to an InDesign and Photoshop course to learn the skills for becoming a graphic designer. My first job was at a printers back in Surrey, and then a publishing house where I worked my way up and gained as much experience as possible within graphic design. Just before Covid, I decided to go part-time to allow more time for freelance work as I loved the diversity of working with different small businesses and start-ups. It was during Covid that me and my partner Milly decided it was time to move back to Cornwall, two years earlier than planned!
What are you enjoying about your role?
One of the things I enjoy most about my role at Kingdom & Sparrow is the collaborative way of working, which is very different from many agencies where it can feel like more of a competitive, high-pressure environment. At K&S, everyone is happy to share their ideas and industry knowledge which always results in a better outcome and means you are constantly learning on the job, which is invaluable. Another thing I love about my role is the range of branding and packaging design projects we work on – big and small, local and international – and the industries we work in, from beer and wine to coffee and chocolate – everyone’s favourite things!
What’s the best thing about living and working in Cornwall?
First of all, I love the laid-back lifestyle and being surrounded by friendly like-minded people who are always up for a chat. Also, the food and drink scene is amazing down here and my partner, a food and drink photographer, and I are always seeking out the best new places to try! And then the obvious things – the beaches and coast path, the rolling hills and endless sky. We really missed living by the sea when we were back in Surrey.
Recommend a book/film, album, podcast?
There is a podcast I’ve been listening to called Angry Designers, which is basically two graphic designers chatting about all the relevant design topics, from current trends and bad designs to burnout and conflict in the industry – it’s the camaraderie every designer needs!
The Creative Boom and Dieline newsletters are a great way to keep up to date with trends and I also follow a lot of designers and illustrators on Instagram for inspiration and learning new skills.
