Personal details
Full name • Samuel James Jessup
Tel • +44 (0)7791 063180
Email • sammybox@yahoo.co.uk
Address • Currently living in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire - originally from Coventry, West Midlands.
Full UK citizen / EU passport holder, previous US visa holder and willing to relocate.
Employment history
Virgin Trains West Coast / East Coast - Group Design Manager
January 2015 - PresentLondon & York, UK
In January 2015, Stagecoach and Virgin won the rights to operate services on the famous East Coast Main Lines, and created a new sister company to Virgin Trains West Coast, Virgin Trains East Coast. My experience of designing for Virgin Trains on the West Coast Main Line made me the perfect choice to help create this new sister company and as such I was appointed Group Design Manager, to manage design and visual brand across both companies on the West Coast and East Coast Main Lines.
In this role I work alongside the talented teams at Stagecoach Group and Virgin Trains West Coast in London and Virgin Trains East Coast in York, splitting my time equally between the two where possible. My specialism in large-scale branding projects and my passion and knowledge of the Virgin brand means I have been the perfect choice to help this sister company grow, to the point where we are now bringing the two companies together under one brand name - Virgin Trains.
In this role so far, I have completed the following projects:
- Managing the development of a new external livery for the entire trains fleet (in less than 4 weeks - working with Best Impressions, one of the UK's best transport branding firms).
- Ensuring the consistent implementation of this new livery across the whole fleet for IC125 & IC225 trains and coaching stock (working with Stewart Signs, a major signage and vehicle livery firm).
- Developing a new interior design scheme for all coaching stock, including custom design of all seats, wall coverings and toilets (working with renowned transport interiors firm Atlantic Design).
- Creation and development of brand guidelines and generic look and feel for all branded elements.
- Working with teams across the business to embed the Virgin Group tone-of-voice across all channels.
- Helping to kick-start the process of creating an internal brand vision, using the Virgin values at it's heart.
- Developing branded train wraps for special train sets including the Flying Scotsman, Durham Cathedral and the National Railway Museum's 40th Anniversary.
- Creation of station branding elements to be applied across all property in the business, using both customer advertising messages and staff-focused communications.
- and much more to come...
As part of this role I am now developing the look and feel for Virgin Trains East Coast new trains to be delivered in 2018 as part of the Intercity Express Programme, including full exterior branding, specific internal branding and fleet naming strategy.
Virgin Trains West Coast - Brand Design Manager
January 2013 - December 2015London, UK / NationwideAs the Brand Design Manager (essentially Creative Director) for Virgin Trains, one of the UK's most respected rail brands, and a proud member of the Virgin Group of companies, I had a small team I manage, including designers from senior to junior level, covering a multitude of disciplines.
My responsibilities covered the below, but very much took a managerial and directorial stance, in that I worked more with other teams across the business to answer design needs for the brand, and used my time to find and solve design problems both customers and staff experience.
Working alongside the Head of Brand and Brand Manager, I helped to create a new master brand vision for the business (one which encompasses the Virgin Group values at it's heart) and developed a design scheme, which was flexible enough that it allowed us effectively communicate to all employees across multiple platforms and in almost completely different ways.
Wider and higher profile work includesd:
- Developing branded train wraps (internal & external) for promotional and advertising purposes
- Holding tone-of-voice workshops for internal stakeholders and external agencies teaching them to be able to use Virgin unique tone and language
- Developing a generic look and feel for use across customer-facing work and ensuring it's implementation.
- Working with partnerships and sales teams to explore ideas for selling the brand and the business to corporate clients and entering high-profile sponsorship and advertising opportunities (including work for 20th Century Fox for X-Men Days of Future Past, the UK government's 'Britain is Great' campaign, the Great Run/Swim series, Kendal Calling festival and Festival No.6).
- Design and brand development alongside a major UK wed design agency on a multi-million pound redesign of Virgin Trains website.
Virgin Trains West Coast - Designer
January 2008 - January 2013
London, UK
Virgin Trains gave me the opportunity to really grow as a designer, both in knowledge and creativity. Being given the freedom I've always yearned for, I developed the role into something much more than the job title suggests.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Upon leaving university a fantastic opportunity arose for me to join a fledgling design agency working out of the beautiful US city of Fort Lauderdale,
so naturally I jumped at the chance! During my time with TSDG I really honed my design abilities I had gathered from my education and experienced how
different design can be in an overseas market such as the USA. I also developed work for clients who's businesses crossed the Atlantic, a unique challenge.
(still continuing where possible)
Freelance work within the disciplines of advertising, branding and editorial, for firms in industries such as motorsports, aviation, commercial cleaning,
public transport, automotive maintenance and several bits of work for free for non-profit charitable organisations. Also worked as a professional
photographer and have been commissioned for and completed photo shoots for international organisations.
London, UK
Virgin Trains gave me the opportunity to really grow as a designer, both in knowledge and creativity. Being given the freedom I've always yearned for, I developed the role into something much more than the job title suggests.
- Working as sole in-house designer, leading design from creation, through development and to print.
- Responsible for all elements of brand consistency and guardianship.
- Over the last 5 years, soley responsible for almost every designed element of the Virgin Trains brand including all train liveries, station branding and signage,
First Class lounge concepts and interiors, all printed communications internally and externally and exterior / interface design of new 'FastTicket' ticketing machines. - Designed and creative directed all elements for the Virgin 'West Coast Bid' for 2012-2024 train services.
- Created branding and helped organise event for internal awards ceremony 'The Feel Good Awards'.
- Directed several brand photoshoots and worked on national TV ad campaigns.
- Oversaw and creatively assisted with rebrand and rebuild of Virgin Trains website virgintrains.com.
- Took on role as sole in-house copywriter, and taught others how to utlise Virgin's unique tone-of-voice.
- Working closely with renowned London design agencies and major national UK commercial printers.
- Developed knowledge of working on Virgin's brand name by working with designers and partners from most other major Virgin brand names,
including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Media and Virgin Money. - Proud to have my name associated with a company as reputable and creative as Virgin.
Tangled Spider Design Group - Senior Designer / Photographer
January 2006 - December 2007Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Upon leaving university a fantastic opportunity arose for me to join a fledgling design agency working out of the beautiful US city of Fort Lauderdale,
so naturally I jumped at the chance! During my time with TSDG I really honed my design abilities I had gathered from my education and experienced how
different design can be in an overseas market such as the USA. I also developed work for clients who's businesses crossed the Atlantic, a unique challenge.
- Joined the company as junior designer and was quickly promoted to senior role.
- Relocated from the UK to join the company on a paid-for US work permit (now expired).
- Recieved full training in all relevant software packages (all Adobe CS, all Microsoft).
- Experienced proofing and print processes whilst working alongside major US commerical printers.
- Since I worked for a small company, I gained experience in face-to-face meeting with clients.
- Worked alongside TSDG's Creative Director developing new brand names and identities.
- Presented to large groups of clients on the theory and style behind my design, and what makes it a success.
- Developed concepts for advertising (in print, radio and TV) and for a large range of printed materials.
- Responsible for the development of design interns into fully trained graphic designers.
- Worked as the firm's staff photographer and was published online and in the US national press.
Freelance Designer / Photographer
June 2005 - December 2005(still continuing where possible)
Freelance work within the disciplines of advertising, branding and editorial, for firms in industries such as motorsports, aviation, commercial cleaning,
public transport, automotive maintenance and several bits of work for free for non-profit charitable organisations. Also worked as a professional
photographer and have been commissioned for and completed photo shoots for international organisations.
Education
Falmouth College of Arts, Falmouth, Cornwall, UK
September 2002 – July 2005BA (hons) Graphic Design
Warwickshire College, Leamington Spa, Warks, UK
September 2000 – July 2002BTEC Graphic Design -Distinction
AS Level 3D Design -B
AS Level Graphic Design -B
City & Guilds B&W Photography -Pass
Bilton High School, Bilton, Rugby, Warks, UK
September 1996 – July 2000GCSE's - Various subjects incl. English, Maths and Science
3 x Grade A / 3 x Grade B / 3 x Grade C
Skills
- Worked in and around the design industry for over 10 years.
- Creative directed major branding projects including the branding and identity of a major international brand name
(including but not limited to full roll-out of new branding across multiple online, offline and physical touchpoints). - Able to manage, train, instruct and assist junior, middleweight and senior designers/creatives to a high standard.
- Excellent presentation skills, in both small and large group environments.
- Professional experience in copywriting and tone-of-voice work alongside design concepts and ideas.
- Worked in both agency and in-house design roles, and for a major international brand name
- Extremely proficient in use of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.
- Perfect knowledge of all major word processing/presentation/email software and accompaniments.
- Complete knowledge of both Apple OS & Windows software platforms.
- Knowledge in concept development and storyboarding for radio/TV advertising.
- Excellent knowledge of all major print process, and all format/styles of signage.
- Large format print/branding experience including billboards and large vehicle livery design.
- Close working and personal relationships with major national print/distribution suppliers.