Meet our team:
Ellie Russell
Meet our new team member Ellie
At Kingdom & Sparrow, a big part of our ethos is being people-centric, both in how we build our relationships with clients, but also importantly in how we function as a team. We pride ourselves on empowering our people to hit their career goals, while ensuring they find day-to-day work enjoyable too. We’ve got a number of team wellbeing initiatives as a B-Corp, which help ensure we’re living our values – particularly important as we had two new team members join us in recent weeks!
Ellie Russell started as our new Junior Designer this January. We caught up with her over a cup of tea to find out how she’s settling in…
What brought you to our team?
I actually studied for a Biology Degree at Exeter University, but then found myself moving in a different direction with a Masters in Communication Design at Falmouth University. My background in biology involved a lot of creative problem-solving – much in the same way you have to approach branding – then the Communication Design course focused on consumer behaviour. The combination of the two is probably quite unusual but it’s serving me well so far! I found I really love working out different audiences, consumer trends and then finding the design solution that will have the greatest impact.
What made you go into a career in design?
Once I’d finished my course in Communication Design I started doing freelance design and illustration. I worked with a lot of festivals, small businesses and events providing marketing and signage designs. I also worked in communications and content production for a small Falmouth agency before this role. It’s been great to have a range of experiences working in marketing, event production, and charity comms. Now I’m really excited to hone it all and focus on design at Kingdom and Sparrow.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
I think I’ll really enjoy learning from the design team at K&S, crafting my skills and getting the opportunity to work with both local and national clients. I love thinking about the environmental impact of materials, pushing the boundaries of innovation in packaging design.
What do you love to do outside work?
I’m learning to surf at the moment and even in the very cold water, I’m really enjoying the challenge! I’m also learning to sail on old traditional boats. Working on the coast is energising – I think it will be even better in the summer months!
What’s the best thing about living and working in Cornwall?
There’s an amazing variation of landscapes in Cornwall and I love exploring the beach, seas, moors and woodlands – they’re all so inspiring in their own ways. I know Kingdom and Sparrow really care about the mental wellbeing of their team and see the local environment as a really important part of that.
Any branding or design books or podcasts to recommend?
The Falmouth campus library on Woodlane is a great place to flick through the most up-to-date arts, design and branding magazines and books. I’m a big fan of popping in every-so-often and getting some fresh inspiration from the shelves.
I tend to look through online blogs and a firm favourite site has always been It’s Nice That – they’re always showcasing a real mixture of illustration, design, photography and culture so it’s a great place to be inspired by artists from around the world.
I also love dipping into architectural/interior design showcased on the Dezeen website. They’ve got some great articles on their opinion pages to flick through too.
IDEO have a great blog which explores some wacky and wild ideas and innovations in the design world, so would recommend checking out their features for some thought provoking reads…
