From Digital Marketing Apprentice to Graphic Designer

My journey at Halt began not long after completing my A-levels, where I studied Psychology, Graphic Communication and Photography. Through my studies, I developed an interest in design and began building my skills, getting to grips with programmes such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

I decided to pursue a career in digital marketing because I had always been passionate about creative roles, particularly creating content that achieves results while communicating a brand’s message and identity visually. When the opportunity to join Halt as a Digital Marketing Apprentice came up, I felt the role would be a great fit for me and would allow me to combine my creative interests with the opportunity to develop professionally.

The apprenticeship gave me the chance to get stuck into real projects from the beginning, learning how the industry works while gaining hands-on experience alongside completing my qualification. Being able to learn on the job, while also having the support and guidance of an experienced team, gave me a strong foundation to develop my skills and discover where I wanted my career to go.

Starting Out as a Digital Marketing Apprentice

To complete the apprenticeship, I had to create three portfolios showcasing the work I had completed throughout the course. These included a social media campaign, my personal development, and an overview of my role at Halt. This gave me a great way to keep track of my progress and look back at the work I had produced throughout my apprenticeship. When this coursework was complete, I then had to pass an exam where I had to talk through my social media campaign to an examiner and answer their questions regarding industry knowledge and reasoning.

As part of the course, I also completed Google Analytics and Principles of Coding modules, which helped me develop a broader understanding of digital marketing.

Alongside my apprenticeship, I worked closely with my manager to create social media content for LinkedIn. This gave me experience working across different content themes, including service promotion, thought leadership, and company culture. As I became more familiar with these different content areas, I also began to support content planning and develop a better understanding of how different types of content contribute to a wider marketing strategy. Another part of my role was learning the value of monthly reporting and using performance data to understand how our content was performing and where we could improve.

As time went on, my skills and knowledge continued to develop as I gained more experience creating and delivering different types of content and campaigns. I became a valued member of the team and was always willing to learn, take on new challenges, and support wherever I could add value.

Discovering My Creative Side

As I continued to develop in my role, I also had the opportunity to support the branding team with different projects. Although my main responsibilities were focused on social media, I had always expressed my interest in the branding and design side of the business from the get-go, and being able to get involved in branding work gave me the chance to explore the creative side of the business in more depth.

I quickly found that I really enjoyed working on the visual side of projects, from developing ideas and creating designs to thinking about how a brand should look and feel. Getting this experience made me realise that I was more drawn to branding and graphic design than I was to social media. I enjoyed the process of taking an idea or brief and turning it into something visual, and I found myself wanting to take on more design-focused work.

Already having a good level of confidence working with Adobe software gave me an advantage when transitioning into design, as I was able to dive straight into projects while also developing my skills in programmes I hadn’t used before, such as InDesign, Canva and PowerPoint Slide Master.

Having the opportunity to work alongside the branding team helped me recognise the direction I wanted my career to take. It gave me the confidence to explore graphic design further and ultimately led me towards transitioning from digital marketing into a more design-focused role.

Making the Transition into Graphic Design

Once I had established that I had a stronger passion for graphic design, Chris and the team were incredibly encouraging and supportive of my transition. I began working alongside Matt on the rebrand and website build for SilverSwan, where I was able to learn from his experience, shadowing him throughout the project and supporting with various tasks, including elements of the web design.

This was a great opportunity to develop my skills in a real project environment and gave me more confidence to start working independently on design briefs. Having the support of the team while gradually taking on more responsibility helped me build a strong foundation as a designer.

I have continued to build my confidence in tackling briefs, understanding client requirements and feedback, producing collateral that aligns with existing brand identities, applying design principles and problem-solving throughout the creative process.

I’ve also been lucky enough to work with a wide range of clients, each with their own unique branding and identity. Working across different industries and styles has challenged me to adapt my approach to each project, while continuing to develop my own skills and creative confidence.

The Skills I Took from Marketing into Design

One of the biggest benefits of moving from digital marketing into design has been being able to bring the skills and knowledge I developed along the way with me. My marketing experience has influenced the way I approach a design brief, from understanding the audience to considering the wider purpose of a piece of creative.

Understanding the Audience

Coming from a digital marketing background, I’ve learned how important it is to understand who you’re creating something for. Before starting a design, I think about the target audience, what they’re likely to respond to, and what we want them to take away from it.

Understanding Content

Creating social media content taught me that visuals and messaging need to work together. A strong design can grab someone’s attention, but the messaging needs to support it and communicate the right information. Working on different types of social content helped me understand how layout, imagery, typography, and copy can all work together to make content clearer and more engaging.

Brand Awareness

My marketing experience has also given me a strong understanding of the importance of brand consistency. When working on a design, I ensure it fits within the existing brand, from colours and typography to imagery, tone, and overall style.

Communication

Working in marketing has given me a lot of experience collaborating with colleagues and working to client requirements, which has been really valuable as I’ve moved into design. I’ve learned the importance of asking questions, understanding a brief, and being open to feedback.

Understanding the Bigger Picture

One of the biggest things I’ve taken from my marketing experience is that design needs to have a purpose. While making something look visually appealing is important, I always try to consider what the design actually needs to achieve. Whether that’s communicating a message, promoting a service, attracting attention or strengthening a brand, understanding the objective helps me create something that is not only visually effective but also works for the wider marketing goal.

What My Role Looks Like Now

Fast forward four years, and my role now sits between the branding and social teams, where I carry out a large proportion of the on-demand design work for our existing clients. This can include designing pitch decks within a client’s existing branding, creating brand collateral, developing social media templates or producing print work, and the list goes on!

After a year of working predominantly on rebrands and brand refreshes, we reassessed the workload and decided that I would be most useful working across a wider range of clients. This allowed me to increase my design output, build my confidence and become more comfortable running briefs independently, including communicating directly with external stakeholders.

I really enjoy being able to utilise both skill sets that I’ve developed throughout my career. My previous experience in social media and digital marketing, combined with my knowledge of branding and graphic design, allows me to bring both perspectives to a project and create the best possible outcome for the client. Working across different types of projects has also helped my confidence grow massively, particularly when it comes to taking ownership of briefs and seeing them through from start to finish.

Advice for Someone Starting Their Career

I would definitely recommend considering an apprenticeship, especially if you’re someone who learns best by doing. For me, being able to gain real experience while completing my qualification was a great way to start my career. You’re able to learn from the people around you, get involved in real projects and understand what working in the industry is actually like, while still having structured learning and support alongside it.

I would also advise becoming confident with Adobe tools such as Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. Having a good understanding of these programmes can give you a head start when joining a creative team and allow you to get stuck into projects more quickly. There is always room to improve, but having a strong understanding of the basics is definitely worth investing time in.

Finally, I’d say not to worry if you don’t know exactly what area of design you want to specialise in straight away. My own career started in digital marketing before I discovered that branding and graphic design were where my interests really lay. Being open to different opportunities can help you find the area that suits you best.

What’s next?

I am very proud of how much I have grown as a designer since completing my apprenticeship. My current role suits my skill set perfectly and allows me to be creative across a wide range of formats, projects and clients. Looking back, I’m proud of how my career has evolved and how I’ve been able to combine the skills I developed in digital marketing with my passion for design.

Looking ahead, I’m planning to further develop my web design skills. I’m currently completing a UX design course to build my understanding of the theory, processes, and principles behind user experience and web design. I’m looking forward to applying this knowledge to future projects, expanding my skill set and continuing to grow as a designer.

For now, I’m continuing to develop and apply my knowledge to a wide range of creative briefs, while building on the skills I’ve gained throughout my career.