Anas Houssein

Manchester-based designer Anas Houssein has been chasing passions and opportunities since he first discovered design as a child. Faced with the challenge of securing a Visa-sponsored role immediately after graduating, it’s been a journey filled with pressure – and resilience. Through hard work, a string of internships, and consistently putting his work out there, he eventually landed himself a role at The Chase. From persistent learning to embracing AI and tech in his role, Anas here shares how to keep opening doors for yourself.

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
I’m a designer at The Chase, where I craft distinct visual identities for brands, often exploring motion and generative AI to bring them to life. I also help shape The Chase’s social media presence, from content planning and strategy to creating posts. I don’t love calling myself ‘multi-disciplinary’, but I do say yes to everything that excites me.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I’m constantly drawn to work that pushes the boundaries of design and technology. Instagram is my main source of inspiration: I follow leading studios, designers and re-share pages to keep up with what’s new. Having lived in Kerala, Doha, Preston, London and Manchester, I love weaving cross-cultural influences into my work where relevant. For reference, I spend hours on Pinterest, Behance, Dribbble, Fonts In Use, Brand New, It’s Nice That and Nowness and tune into podcasts like What Does Your Mum Think? for creative insight and perspective.

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
Not necessarily, though the right course definitely helps. I started designing at the age of ten, using an online editor called iPiccy. Tools were never the focus; it was all about ideas. I later studied Graphic Design at the University of Lancashire in Preston – a course known for encouraging lateral thinking and strong industry links. My biggest lessons came from internships with inspiring creative directors who always taught me something new. The key is to never stop learning and to always connect the dots.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
We recently organised a charity football tournament for Manchester creatives, and I’m so proud of the promotional work we produced for it. I came up with the tournament name 'Cup North' and contributed to the key visual concept. Full credit to the talented team at The Chase for bringing it to life. I always love projects with a rewarding idea at their core, and this was exactly that.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
I’m up early to pray, then I cycle five kilometres to the gym for a morning workout – it sets the tone for the day. After checking LinkedIn (networking game strong), I dive into project plans, quick catch-ups with the team and a bit of experimentation.

Midday means lunch-break ping-pong and a chat with colleagues before getting into reviews with our creative director and project manager. Evenings are for cycling home, cooking dinner, watching a documentary, journaling, praying and winding down.

If there was a starter pack for your job, what would be on it?
Shawarma, Figma, After Effects, LinkedIn, Instagram, Nike sliders, Coloured pens, ChatGPT, Midjourney, ‘Thumbs-up computer kid’ gif, Brain-rot cat, ‘Graphic design is my passion’ meme.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out?
It was full of trial and error and small wins. Some days I’d wonder if I was good enough, other days I couldn’t believe I was being paid to do something I love. What got me through was having mentors who believed in me before I did.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs?
My first official role came through a placement year at university, where my tutor helped set up interviews with studios. Around the same time, a university poster I designed went viral after Stefan Sagmeister re-shared it on Instagram, which led to NB Studio reaching out to me, where I then interned. In the end, I completed 13 months of internships and later joined The Chase in my final year. After graduating, I was offered a full-time junior role. I’ve always been active on LinkedIn and Instagram, which continues to bring in new opportunities.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
Convincing my indian parents that graphic design is a real career - possibly the hardest one!

Beyond that, securing a full-time, visa-sponsored job within four months of graduating, the same period when the student visa runs out. None of the four studios I’d interned with had an existing sponsorship licence, so I had to work extra hard, network widely, and stay patient.

Thankfully, The Chase gained one for me and my classmate Nilesh – a huge thanks to Creative Director Mark Hurst and the team at The Chase for taking that initiative, believing in us, and always being supportive. Balancing coursework, part-time jobs, and visa stress was tough, but it taught me resilience.

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
Essential. Social media helps you build a voice and identity as a designer. Back in uni, I’d share projects and tag design pages like The Design Kids, Packaging of the World and even Stefan Sagmeister – that’s how people start noticing you. My tip is don’t just post work, tell a story about why you made it – maybe via a TikTok video or Instagram Reel. People are often curious to know the story behind the work.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?

Have there been any courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards you’ve found helpful or would recommend to get into your sector?
Definitely the Graphic Design course at the University of Central Lancashire if you’re looking to study. D&AD Shift is brilliant for those without formal education, and Master Beyond Branding by Elisava and Folch Studio is another great one. Creative Lives in Progress events and the Opportunities Board have been incredible for feedback, exposure and job leads.

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
I’ve been lucky to have a full-time role since graduating, but I also take on occasional freelance and content gigs to keep my creativity flowing. Most of those come through networking and word of mouth. Having a steady job allows me to be experimental with my personal practice.

My advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
If your job isn’t challenging you, challenge yourself. Keep creating passion projects, they’ll open the next door before you even knock.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Figure out what area of design excites you – branding, motion, digital or something niche. Build a portfolio that reflects that focus, research studios doing similar work and reach out to them. Ask for portfolio feedback, stay active on LinkedIn and don’t be afraid to follow up. Consistency builds visibility.