When I started working at Clearsilver Brand Marketing on what was to be a two-week internship back in 2016, I never imagined that I’d be leaving three years later with two promotions and a raft of experience under my belt. My departure is certainly bitter-sweet. I’m excited to be moving to London – to take on a dream marketing role – but I’m leaving behind a fantastic team who have taught me everything I know about marketing, PR and the requirements of agency life.
Victoria, Me & Kat at the Breast Cancer Haven Ball
The advantage of starting your career in a small (yet perfectly formed) agency is the wealth of experience and knowledge you’re able to access – should you have the passion for it. And, as Clearsilver is a full-service marketing business, you really do see all aspects of a project, which has given me such fantastic skills to take with me for the future.
Louise & I celebrating my leaving do at the Alchemist Leeds.
We’re a tight team at Clearsilver HQ, which has allowed me to work closely with both the company Director and Head of PR, both of whom I’ve learnt so much from. Mainly, how to deliver the best results for our clients and to have a strong and passionate work ethic. The fast-paced nature of an agency can sometimes appear daunting – and it’s not for everyone – but, with the perfect team around me, I’ve grown to love the buzz and ability to multi-task like a pro.
Victoria & I - always ready for a selfie.
I’ve worked with many clients over the last three years and have thoroughly enjoyed developing strong relationships and working closely with them, in order to fully understand their business. One key client has been Leeds City Council. We often work with the Council on various campaigns, including re-branding services and creating behavioural change campaigns. Some of the bigger projects I’ve worked on include:
One Adoption: here I worked with the design team to develop a new brand identity for the adoption service across Yorkshire. They needed an identity that would work across the board and be accessible for the target audience; local families living in Yorkshire. I was responsible for 800+ separate pieces of design for print, whilst managing the relationship between our client’s needs and the design studio. Clearsilver produced some fantastic work for One Adoption, as seen below:
Following our success with One Adoption, we then went on to win the pitch to refresh Leeds City Council's nursery provision. Little Owls was born. I was a key part of the team in providing a new brand identity, as well as working within research groups to develop a deep understanding of our target audience.
A key B2C client I’ve spent a lot of the last three years working on is My Expert Midwife. I was an active part of the team who delivered an end-to-end marketing proposition including brand identity, website, PR strategy, social media platforms and more.
At Clearsilver, we do a lot of work in the Education sector, from design, print, digital and PR. I have managed both Dixons Academies Trust and the Girls’ Schools Association throughout my time here – both of which have been fantastic clients to work on.
For Dixons, I’ve worked alongside the team to successfully develop a brand identity and websites for a total of 12 academies across West Yorkshire, as well as delivering many pieces of print and digital collateral.
Brand identity and design for print has also been at the heart of my role with the Girls' School Association. Each year we’ve designed a new identity for their conference, along with rolling out all the conference collateral.
So, on the same day as Theresa May hands in her formal resignation, it’s time for me to say goodbye to Leeds and head South. No, sadly, I’m not filling the PM’s shoes – and I’ll always be a Yorkshire girl at heart – but it’s time for my next step on the marketing career ladder.
I’ll very much miss the whole team at Clearsilver. As well as the invaluable experience, I’ll also be taking many fond memories of laughter and happiness – too many to mention - with me.
Never turn down the opportunity of an internship; you never know where it might lead.