CASE STUDIES

• Webfooted Designs
• Add Juice
• AG Design
• Altcom Ltd
• Business Cornwall
• Channel Computing
• Design for Sport
• German IT Development
• Go24
• InfoTeam
• IntoArt Solutions LLP
• Leap Media
• Lowdon Graphic Design
• Luminate Marketing
• Niddocks
• Richard Quick Design
• Seed Brand Communications
• UK School Trips

REPORTS

ICT and Media

Overview
Having worked within the graphic design industry for over eight years, John Lowdon knew he wanted to do more and had always dreamt of setting up on his own. Previous clients had included blue chip companies, such as 3, Lloyds TSB and Sky, where John was at the forefront of the development of their brand strategy and design. Having built up significant expertise in the design world John was able to start thinking about making Lowdon Graphic Design, his own design and communications consultancy, a reality. Starting up on your own is a big step and one of the key decisions that had to be made was where he was going to locate his business. However, according to John, this was not too difficult a choice: "My wife Shelley is from Cornwall, so having spent a number of family holidays in the county as well as getting married in St Ives, our mutual love for Cornwall meant that setting up a new business here made sense. Additionally, the arrival of our first child last year, made us think twice about where we wanted to bring up our family. The allure of a better quality of life and healthier lifestyle, made the move to Cornwall even more appealing." Not only did the location answer their personal wish list, but the thriving creative business community also made Cornwall an attractive location. Since the company's launch in 2006 John has not looked back "the business is going from strength to strength. It has been hugely rewarding setting up my own company and seeing it grow has been really exciting. We pitch for business all round the UK, so our client base is varied, which is great. Not only is the business doing well, but we are also enjoying being in Cornwall. While we are certainly working hard, having the coast and the countryside on your doorstep makes it all worthwhile. We don't feel we would be able to get the mix of business and lifestyle anywhere else."

Workforce
Due to the high demand for work John works regularly with a select group of freelancers. Additionally, Shelley's background as a project manager in advertising and design is invaluable in undertaking client management.

Clients
The company's client list is consistently growing. In the past year John's clients have included Miglia Technology Ltd, the European manufacturer of digital media products, Welsh flower and card company "Love Lily" and locally, Porthleven's Kota restaurant, to name a few. Most recently, after a two way pitch, Lowdon Design has won the contract to deliver a recruitment communications campaign for the specialist worldwide marine drilling company, Seacore.

Support
Cornwall Pure Business put John in touch with the Digital Peninsula Network as well as actnow, the county's ICT specialists. "Having the additional support from organisations such as Cornwall Pure Business has been invaluable as they have introduced me to relevant business support organisations and networks, which have enabled me to focus on running the business instead of getting side-tracked trying to establish which networks may or may not be suitable."