Design services for growing independent businesses

About Keith Barker Design

Design services for growing independent businesses

Hello

I'm Keith Barker, and Keith Barker Design is my freelance design business.

Many people assume your About page is where you're allowed to be a little self-indulgent, and share your life history, family photos and a cute picture of your dog.

But I think an About page is really about the person reading it. It's a bit like the old job interview question "Tell me about your weaknesses", where the interviewer isn't asking about your weaknesses at all.

Nobody reads an About page to find out about you. They read it to decide whether you're the right person to help them.

So here goes...

Can I do the thing you need?

I've been a professional designer for 37 years. My core skills are design for print, WordPress web design, brand design and copywriting, with detours along the way into designing exhibitions, catalogues and packaging.

If the thing you need is design-related, the answer is probably yes.

Do I work with businesses like yours?

For the first 26 years of my career I worked in design agencies and in-house marketing departments, mostly on corporate accounts such as Volkswagen, L'Oréal, Bridgestone and Sky TV. That work taught me the craft, professionalism and attention to detail I bring to every client now.

Twenty years ago I also became a partner in a new start-up, and I'm still its brand designer, web designer and copywriter today. This work showed me the completely different world of marketing a bootstrapped small business.

For the past 11 years I've been a freelance designer and consultant, working exclusively with owner-managed small businesses. My clients are varied, but the common theme is their size. Most employ between 3 and 15 people, and I deal directly with the owner or a director.

What’s it like working with me?

I'm an unusual mix of creative and meticulous. Some designers have genius-level ideas but couldn't organise a pencil case. Others are highly disciplined but lack inspiration.

I'm the best of both. You can't run a successful design business on your own if you're not creative and organised – and that includes decidedly uncreative tasks like managing deadlines, budgets, website back-ends and print specifications.

I'm also pretty friendly, and I don't bite!

You deal directly with me. Not an account manager or a junior. That's why I keep the number of live projects low.

Every branding and website project starts with a questionnaire and a conversation to get to know you and your business. Clients tell me they weren't expecting the depth I go into.

Many owners haven't been asked what their business stands for, or who they're really up against, since the day they opened. But that's where branding starts. It's also why every design decision I present has a reason behind it.

Communication happens mostly by email so we both have a written record of what was agreed. But phone, Zoom and in-person meetings all work too.

Why should you believe me?

Keith Barker Design, and its former iteration Keefomatic, has been my full-time business since 2015, through the turbulence of the last few years and out the other side.

Because I limit the number of projects I work on, my clients and I build real working relationships, and I end up being their outsourced "in-house" brand, graphic or web designer. 

For proof it works, there are plenty of case studies in my Insights section, and testimonials all over the site, so please check them out.

If you'd like to explore working on a project with me, drop me a line.