Business Owner Colin Needham
Business OwnerDetails
| First Name | Colin |
| Last Name | Needham |
| Nickname | colin-needham |
Personal Information
| Gender | Male |
| Your Birthday | January 9, 1965 |
| Share something interesting | I’m a keen photographer and have even used these skills professionally as, and when they are needed, the first camera I used creatively was a Rolleiflex, twin lens reflex, shooting 120 roll film. Those were the pre-photoshop years when you had to process film and print the results in a dark room. Another hobby is reading, which I rediscovered during the lockdown, having tired of the endless box sets on streaming services. I tended to read a lot of mythological fiction during that time, with a smattering of business books thrown in for good measure. Other hobbies include music and movies and trying to train our rescue border collie, a sweet little angel in the house but an absolute hooligan on walks when she sees other fury creatures, dogs, cats, horses, you name she hates it. Last but not least, I am the official chauffeur to my daughter’s ponies and can often be found watching dressage events at the weekends. |
About my business
| My business introduction | OK, I always hate this part as I usually run out of words, but I might be OK as there is no limit mentioned. We are a small family-run design agency, consisting of my wife Sue, my son Adrian who is a designer and of course, myself as lead creative. We are in our 19th year of business and offer a full range of design and marketing services for SMEs. Our specialities are brand strategy (more about this later) and web design, and our ideal clients let us manage their design needs online and in print for a more joined-up approach to their marketing. |
| Business Established | October 20, 2003 |
| Your Goals | 1. Completeing my profile in Rainmakers Hub. ✔️ 2. Starting some groups in Rainmakers Hub. 3. Getting to know everyone in Rainmakers Hub.
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| Website |
Education & Experience
| Education Highlights | After leaving school at 16 (enough is enough, right), I moved on to further education and a three-year course in Technical Illustration at Ravensbourne College of art and design. Yes, I was an art student. I parted with education at 19 although I was offered places at University, I had acquired some qualifications and wanted to try life in the real world. |
| Work Experience | I found my first paid job at six days after leaving college as a technical illustrator and print manager at Startrte Machine Tools, where I spent several years illustrating operator manuals for various saws, drills and planers. Job number two was at an illustration studio in Kent, which worked mainly for Ford. My role here varied and included photography, traditional illustration, special project management for Ford Motorsport and resident airbrush artist. I also developed new digital illustration ways, which involved training all the other illustrators in the company. My third Job was a slight change in direction for my career when I joined KEF audio as the in-house graphic designer. KEF design and manufactures audiophile-quality loudspeakers and is now famous in the industry for the Muon loudspeakers that retail at £140k. My role included brand management, graphic design, art direction, photography, illustration, marketing, print management and, by 1996, web design. When I left the company in 1998, there were three members in the design team, saving the company a lot of time and money. My final stint in employment started in 1998 when I was working for Mclaren in their recently formed audio division, TAG McLaren audio. As marketing and design manager, I was responsible for all the marketing materials, from trade show stands to international advertising. My role was also to save the company money on outsourced services, and I was regularly told by the CEO that we were the only profitable department in the business. In 2003 the funding from McLaren and TAG Hauer was pulled, and I decided to start my own micro-design business, TMORPH design & print, with my wife. Our goal has always been to help SMEs make the most of their marketing on a budget using my years of experience to find the right solutions to help them grow.
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