Partnership Announcement
“How can I add value?” - it’s the question I ask myself with every new project…
As a creative problem solver, it’s my job to help brands present the best versions of themselves to their audience. As a business owner, it’s my ambition to offer the best version of my company to my clients.
When Owen and I met, ten years ago at The Northern School of Art, I saw potential...
Potential, not just for friendship and romance, but a strong professional partnership. Even as a budding artist, Owen's flair for technical drawing, his funny and original ideas, and his strong commercial voice were all very apparent. It wasn’t long before we began collaborating on freelance opportunities, thriving off the way our skill sets perfectly complemented one another.
In 2015 we both graduated from the Northern School of Art with First Class Honours Degrees. As graduates, we began to map out our future in pencil, leaving plenty of room to doodle in the margins.
But first, we wanted a taste of industry…
I landed a position as an in-house graphic designer, creating web and print materials, while doing freelance work in the evenings. Meanwhile, Owen got a job at a local creative agency, producing work for an array of clients.
The opportunity to work together arose again in 2017…
In 2017 we collaborated on a competition run by Grand Central. Once again, the value that we added to one another’s work shone through- we not only won the competition, but were commissioned to produce a further six illustrations for Hartlepool railway station. The project even won a local Award for Tourism Potential.
Using this springboard, I leapt into self-employment…
I began building my business from the ground up, as Owen rose to the position of design director at the creative studio he had entered as a junior designer.
Over the past two and a half years, I have poured my heart and soul into building a strong reputation for this business, through a portfolio of intricate architectural illustrations and striking branding designs. Not one to take success for granted, I began to circle back to that all-important question - how can I add value? What can I offer my clients, that I’m not already offering?
The answer was sitting in front of me…
In October 2019, Owen stepped down from his directorship role ready for a new challenge. We knew it was the right time to forge an official partnership, and in May 2020, ‘Abby+Owen’ was born.
‘Abby+Owen’ is the sum of its parts...
It’s a creative powerhouse, bringing fresh ideas to the table. It’s an agile, two-person studio offering unmatched dedication to clients. It’s an organic development of our careers, but most importantly - it’s us, offering the best version of ourselves.
