Benjamin Parfitt

For designer Benjamin Parfitt, getting into the industry was the hardest part. Since his big break – landing a role at the agency Human After All – he hasn’t looked back, working with clients such as TED, Google and Meta across design and branding projects. Here, Benjamin talks us through the various stages of creative projects, from strategy to research and design. Plus, his hard-earned insights on how low-pressure networking, refining your portfolio and good communication can all get you a foot in the door.

What I do

What do you do?
As a designer, I tend to turn verbal ideas into visual ones. I take what's been set out in the creative brief or in the brand idea or set, then bring that to visual life.

What does that look like day-to-day?
Day-to-day, it can be quite varied, but there are two constants. The first constant is that we’re working creatively, whether that's early sketches or jumping on projects in their latter stages to help see them through. The second constant is touching base with project management to make sure project goals are aligned and that we’re hitting them as we go along.

What does a project look like for you?
A project starts out at an initial research stage, where we look at, discover and define. When we discover, we go outwards, looking at the whole range of what's out there in terms of a project and how it can be developed and pushed in a direction. And then when we define it, bringing it back in for refinement.

As we create, we zoom back out again to really cast open that net and not get bogged down in what we do and don't create. We then bring it back towards an applied stage where we refine the chosen route even more. I get to work on a wide range of projects, from big tech video campaigns to charity campaigns to event branding.

What’s a project you’ve worked on that you’re proudest of?
One of the projects that I'm most proud of is a project I did with TED for TED Democracy, which was an event amplifying voices in democracy. With that project, I was able to work from cover to cover, going from concept to the design of the actual lanyards for the event, which was quite an experience.

We created mood boards for different strategy ideas, exploring how we could bring the brand identity in; then we implemented the strategy that felt right for the project. We then moved into visual research – we had a wide range of creative stuff, which we refined down into this singular idea, which was a ‘tapestry of voices’. We created this whole tapestry of voices that is, at its loudest, everyone talking, and then it combines into one identity. It's one of my absolute favourite projects.

What are the top 3 skills needed for your job?
First, you need to be an expert in graphic design tools, whether that's learnt through YouTube tutorials or paid courses, if you have that luxury.

Second, the ability to work together. If there's anything you can do collectively, that will set you up for the industry in terms of working with people on projects. Whether it's through art direction or project management, you have to get your ideas out. Naturally, that will help distil them as you go through it.

Then, communication. Talking to people, even if it's just to see how they are, helps if you want to be seen as proactive. If you’re working on a project at uni, communicate and talk to people. Even if it's to grab a cup of tea together, you start from there and pay it forward, building connections and relationships.

How I got here

How did you get your start in the industry?
Post-lockdown in 2021, I did a Creative Lives and Progress portfolio review to gain feedback, which I completely recommend. From there, I refined my portfolio, which led me to a mentorship scheme with The Arena. Then, I relentlessly applied to jobs for about 18 months.

It was a long, hard trip, but we got there in the end. After those 18 months, I landed this role at Human After All and have not looked back since.

My advice

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do your role?
Don't be afraid to put your work out there; whether it's posting on Instagram or elsewhere, get it out there. It's nice to just see creative stuff out in the world. In the industry, you're going to be looking for ideas and concepts all the time. But if you want to create, create. My start was creating music posters when I was 13.

You're going to get things wrong and it's no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It feels like a big deal at the time, but it's not in the wider picture. You’re human at the end of the day – it's part and parcel of life.

Don't be afraid to talk to people in the industry, either. Begin networking – a nice way of doing it is with a question on a certain project, saying that you really like a piece of work, or that you want to pick their brains. That could be via Instagram DM if you found the project there or on LinkedIn. That's a low-pressure way in – you don't need to be asking for a job or an internship right away.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far (and how did you overcome it)?
For me, the biggest challenge was actually getting into the industry – it was 18 months. The lockdowns didn't help. There were instances with ghosting as well, which I don't think is healthy for young creatives trying to get into the industry. That's why, now, I do mentorship as well, to help bridge that gap within the industry. We can do better with that; it doesn't hurt to send an email even if it's a ‘no’.

There was also imposter syndrome, which is natural for people. It was a case of continually refining my portfolio, making sure it was tailored and targeted for what I wanted to apply for, and not sending out blanket stuff. And it was blind optimism. I was like, ‘let’s just put everything into this application and go for a studio that I really want to work for’.

Which fictional character would do best in your role?
I'd say Jimmy Neutron, as I think he can be quite creative, whether it was creating different gadgets for what he needed, or putting himself in situations where he could think of creative solutions using different things.