At Chief Nation, we bring together talent across marketing, data, creative, and – of course – events under one roof. In this series, we’re introducing you to the people that make your campaigns shine. We’d like you to meet Marie today, one of our dedicated Multimedia Designers and lover of coffee martinis!
So Marie, you’re a Multimedia Designer here at Chief Nation. Could you tell us what this means for you?
My job is essentially to make our various brands as visually striking and engaging as possible, whilst maximising user experience.
Design is a fine balance between making things beautiful to look at, but highly functional too. The visuals have to have a purpose, they shouldn’t detract from the message and be easy to navigate. It’s about taking the point of view of the reader/user and the journey they go through with a brand and what information they are searching for.
Very importantly, my job is also to be on hand and helpful to any team member who needs my assistance or requires any collateral created at short notice, to ensure that anything that goes out to clients, on social media and online is on brand.
Marie loves minimalist electro, jazz and classic hip-hop – depending on her mood.
Walk us through your average day.
My mornings are usually a mixture of catch-up calls and attending more urgent requests from the team. I primarily work on a variety of webpages for our networking events, clients reports and internal assets.
In the afternoon I try to block out time to focus on more strategic tasks that will move the brand forward. Currently we are very busy with the recent rebrand of Chief Nation, the refreshing of CEO.digital and the imminent launch of new services.
David Hieatt from Hiut Denim talks of M+M: balancing ‘Maintenance’ to keep the business going, and ‘Momentum’ to push a brand forward and make it grow. This is a concept that I value greatly and I try to apply in work and in life in general.
Curveball: favourite movie and why?
Inception and Drive. I love how Inception questions the concept of consciousness and reality. The cinematography and soundtrack of both films are simply exceptional.
What is the most challenging thing about your job?
Meeting all daily requests and still finding time to review, re-assess and refine the design of existing templates, assets and the way the brands transpire to the world.
On the weekend, you’ll find Marie brunching with friends and sipping on a delicious espresso martini
And the most rewarding part?
Seeing my designs out there and knowing that they contribute to the strength and success of our brands. Also, the people at Chief Nation – when the going gets tough, it’s great to have amazing colleagues to share a joke or a cheerful GIF with.
If you were a wine, what would you be?
Champagne: bubbly, energetic and loves socialising! (and also a little French)
Pineapple on pizza: yes or no?
No.
Do you have any hobbies? How do you unwind at the weekend?
Brunch and espresso martinis with my friends! I love discovering new music – minimalist electro, jazz or classic hip-hop depending on my mood. Also, going to the Barbican which feels like a second home to me, hosting dinner parties, daydreaming about furniture, doing DIY, and training for the half marathon I signed up to (work in progress…).
What’s been your biggest accomplishment at Chief Nation?
It’s an ongoing one: the revamping of CEO.digital and shining new light on the content hub. I have taken it on as a project and, with the help of the copywriters, we have gradually upgraded the look & feel, navigation, functionality and content of this website. It’s fantastic and rewarding to see it come together and the brand reach its full potential.
What’s your favourite drink?
Gewurztraminer, Monbazillac, rosé Crémant. All that sparkles.
And finally, best piece of advice you ever heard?
Not a piece of advice per se but a quote from the film Batman Begins:
“Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
It’s a pick-me-up (no pun intended) quote that forever inspires me.
Interested in discovering more about our new digital to human approach to B2B networking?
You can get in touch with Craig directly, or head over to our Services page.