A Chat With: Heather Whitmore at web design and digital marketing agency, Fountain Digital
This month we caught up with local graphic and web designer, Heather Whitmore. Chalk Eastbourne first met Heather as a college student when she volunteered as a steward at Eastbourne DigiFest 2023. This event led to her securing her first full-time position in the digital sector with Fountain Digital.
Chalk: We first met at DigiFest - what was your experience of volunteering that day?
Heather: “I didn’t know what to expect, but it was amazing. My college asked me to take photos of the event, which I thought would just be a nice day out of college. But DigiFest exceeded my expectations. It was fantastic to meet so many people in the digital world. It was my first time networking - which apparently I was quite good at despite not knowing what networking was - and I got to speak to many businesses while taking photos.
“I discovered loads of companies I didn’t know existed and was overwhelmed by how many digital businesses were on my doorstep. It opened up a whole new pathway for me at a time when I was unsure about my future. Everyone was lovely and welcoming, and the environment was amazing.”
As you mentioned, DigiFest was your first time ‘networking’ and you got a lot out of that. What would you say to people thinking about coming to DigiFest this year who may not have done anything similar before?
“I would say do it! The exhibitors are there because they want to connect with new people and talk about their brilliant businesses, regardless of whether you have had any previous experience with networking before. Even if you’re a little shy, or not the most confident person, just turning up and having a wander round the exhibits is a great first step.
“As I said, I didn’t realise that what I was doing was 'networking.' It’s just talking - a conversation - it will come more naturally than you think. If you don’t have the confidence to speak to the businesses, that’s fine. Just go and listen to the talks - you will learn so much.”
What has changed for you since Eastbourne DigiFest took place?
“Pretty much everything! I decided to leave college. I had already completed my A-levels and went on to do a diploma course in Art and Design, but I didn’t feel like I was gaining as much from the course as I’d hoped. I ended up making a few contacts from my time at DigiFest, including Fountain Digital - a digital marketing company offering bespoke website design and development - who I went on to have an interview with, and they offered me a job!
“It was a leap of faith to leave college, but I knew chances like that don’t come around very often and I needed to go for it, even if there was a chance that it might not work out. But everything worked out better than I could have imagined.
“I now have my dream job, working as a web and graphic designer for Fountain Digital.”
What led to you pursuing a career in web and graphic design?
“I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I took Art and Design as one of my options for my GCSEs and ended up getting a 9. For my A-Levels, I took Fine Art, Graphic Design and Media Studies. In my own time, I was always drawing portraits and painting, but that was more of a hobby for me. It was the digital side of art that I knew I wanted to pursue as a career.
“The realisation came through my Media Studies course, where I had to design a website for a made-up film. I realised it was the perfect blend of my interests, as it allowed me to create both visually and digitally. After creating a few websites, I knew I needed to find a job in the graphic and web design industry.
“When it came to my foundation year of college, I knew if I was going to get a job I needed to create a visual portfolio of my work. So I gathered all my best work from my A-levels, along with work from personal projects. I completed this about two weeks before I helped at DigiFest, so I was able to show some of the employers there, which led to me getting the job I’m in now.
“So if anyone wants to get into this kind of role, I would say create a portfolio of the work you do - it’s the best way to showcase your skills.”
What does your current role entail? What's your typical day?
"So, in my current role as a Graphic and Web Designer, my day starts at 9am. I will typically start by making a coffee and plan out my day ahead. This could mean meeting with clients to discuss new websites or logo designs, or working on various graphic tasks such as print designs, leaflets, card designs, or illustrations.
“My day-to-day tasks vary widely, as I am always working on many different projects for clients across various industries. I enjoy the variety; it's exactly what I was looking for in a career. I spend a significant amount of time using the Adobe Suite - particularly Illustrator and Photoshop - working on designs and incorporating client feedback throughout the day.
“I’m also constantly researching new design trends. I’m always learning. I still have a long way to go, but with the support from such an amazing team here at Fountain Digital I have progressed way more than I could have.”
How do you keep on track of design trends?
“I'm constantly surrounded by new and exciting ideas, one of my favourite ways to stay up to date with design trends is using Pinterest and Instagram - I can be casually scrolling away at home and then suddenly see a really cool design, which will get my creative juices flowing.”
Aside from further developing your creative skills, what are some of the other key skills you have learned since working in the industry?
“I would say communication. Learning to communicate with clients is something that can’t really be taught at school as all of the projects you do are made up ‘mock projects’. Additionally, I have learned not to take client feedback personally. In the past, I was always hesitant to show others my work, as I would get kind of protective over it because when you put so much time and effort into something you don’t really want to face hearing negative feedback. Now, I have overcome that hurdle and am open to feedback and critique.
“Feedback is actually really helpful and can take things in a direction you wouldn’t have imagined without the input of others. The clients know their industry better than I do, and if I haven’t represented it in the way they had imagined then I can learn from that and produce something even better.
“I believe the best way to experience critique and prepare for real clients is by showing your work to loved ones and friends. They tend to be your harshest critics because they know you and your work the best."
What is your favourite part of your role?
“I enjoy the structured creative process - from receiving the client's brief, creating the initial design, to presenting the work and refining the final product. Turning the client's vision into a tangible design that their audience can interact with is really rewarding. I love that my design can make a significant impact on their business through designing highly user-friendly websites.
“Though I have projects for industries I might not know much about, this is great because it forces me to design out of my comfort zone, More often than not it leads to me producing one of my favourite designs. It can be hard at the beginning, but the final work is rewarding.
“The client comes to us because they have no design experience themselves. They know their work and the content they want to share with their clients, but they don’t know how to visually show that. So it’s my job to research and come up with an idea that’s in the right visual language, and to create a cohesive design that represents their brand. So a lot of the initial design work is on us, but further into the process, when they have a design in front of them, we are able to be more collaborative with our clients and discuss and brainstorm the design to develop it further.”
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to get into the industry?
“I think number one is to build a visual portfolio of your work together. This will help you to know yourself and your work. Also, keep learning, designing, and creating what you want to do.
“Networking is great, as you can show employers within the industry your work. You might not get a job straight away, but you will definitely gain valuable feedback on ways to get your work seen. For example, some advice I got from DigiFest was to create a good LinkedIn profile and show my portfolio on there. After the event I added to my LinkedIn and ended up connecting with everyone I met at DigiFest—it’s a great way to get noticed in your industry.
“I had only been using LinkedIn as a job search tool previously and I didn’t know it had so many avenues for networking. It’s a great platform to meet new people and a great example of media at its finest, helping you to connect with people in your local area.
“Finally, it’s just having the persistence and dedication to reach your goal. It might take longer than you hoped, but if you persevere you will get there.”
What do you love about Eastbourne?
“I think I’ve found the charm of it more recently. At school, you always hear the negative things. But now I love to live by the sea and, as I work in the town centre, it's nice on my break to go out and walk through town. It’s quite a friendly community with lots of great places, like the galleries and theatres to visit. It’s got a nice vibe.
“I have travelled a lot around the UK but nowhere compares to our little town. It’s a calming escape just to look out to the sea. It makes you feel free, as you aren’t trapped in a city. You have the open airy spaces, and then we have a nice hub of galleries and the shopping centre. It’s a nice blend.”
If you had the power to make some changes to the town to attract more young people (and an unlimited budget!), what would you change?
“A Disneyland down the road? That would be amazing, but not very realistic! Maybe more activities and places to go geared towards young people. Creative spaces and activities to do at the weekend. Or maybe just investing money into the places we already have like the bowling alley and mini golf - these are nice places for young people to enhance them and make them the best they can be would also be great.”
Do you have any hopes and dreams for the future?
“I like that my formal education is finished, it’s a weight that’s been lifted (although I’m constantly learning now, that never stops). But I enjoy that I have a job now and that I have that security, so I can enjoy what's around me.
“I’m just taking it day by day, appreciating what I have. I don’t need to push for anything at the moment. I’m really happy where I am, I just want to grow in what I do, take on more ambitious projects and evolve in the role. I want to just enjoy my future without looking ahead too much.”
If you’re keen to get involved as a volunteer steward at DigiFest 2024 like Heather did last year, drop us a line at hello@chalkeastbourne.com.
