Jack Charlesworth

Meet Jack Charlesworth – a Motion intern at DixonBaxi placed through the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Programme. An ideas-led designer with a growing focus on motion, Jack reflects on his journey as an intern so far, from learning on the job and adapting to agency life to finding his place in an industry-leading studio and trusting his instincts along the way.

About my work

My creative practice
I consider myself a multidisciplinary designer with a large focus on motion and wit in brand identity. I love finding insights and fun ideas before visually representing them in their purest form.

My Adobe Creative Apprenticeship experience
I’m currently a motion intern at DixonBaxi – an industry-leading design agency. They create brands for some of the most culturally prolific companies, from F1 to Roblox.

I applied after meeting some Adobe representatives at the D&AD New Blood Awards. They were really informative about the programme and had such a genuine care for the industry and young graduates looking for entry-level positions. It seemed like too good an opportunity to miss!

Influences and inspiration
I came from a design background at university before being drawn to motion. A lot of my foundational influence still lies within that sphere. I fell in love with Jim Sutherland and hat-trick Studio initially through one of my university tutors.

Reading Things That I’ve Learned in My Life So Far and watching The Happy Film by Stefan Sagmeister were also particularly formative for me.

In terms of animation and movement design, The Line and Nexus Studio’s work was particularly inspirational to me. Most importantly, I also find constant inspiration from those around me at work. I’m in an environment where everyone is so extremely talented and knowledgeable – it’s rocket fuel for me.

My training
I studied BA Graphic Communications at Norwich University. Coming from a design background helped shape my foundations before finding motion more organically. University also showed me the range of creative paths available, which I wasn’t fully aware of beforehand.

That said, I don’t think university is the only route into the industry. There are so many talented self-taught designers out there – curiosity and drive matter just as much.

Favourite recent project
From the start of my apprenticeship, there’s been a steady and welcome build of responsibility. My early days were spent on R&D and conceptual aspects, before moving on to tweaking motion and using feedback for case studies. This has culminated in my work now being live on TV, as I animated some mid-programme messaging bumpers.

Throughout this time, I’ve also kept some of the brand design spark alive in my free time – by working closely on an album rollout for Con Cook, an underground jazz house musician with around 250,000 monthly listeners.

I’ve also worked with production companies on motion graphics for some of the hottest streetwear brands in London right now, most notably UPINFLAMES, where we parodied the anti-piracy campaigns of the 2000s, which subsequently went viral on Instagram.

How I got here

What I've learnt so far
I feel like I’m constantly in a state of learning. Being new to the industry, I didn’t have many preconceptions other than murmurs from guest lecturers at uni, so it’s been a massive transition adapting to DixonBaxi agency life, its pace and process.

It makes me laugh – when I dropped out of academic sixth form, I thought I’d left the trauma of A-level maths, only to be tentatively picking it up again years later.

Conversely, I don’t think enough people talk about the small, trivial things at the start – like how on earth do I connect to a server, or how my Google Calendar is organised. You never think about those things when you're staying up till 3am in your final year of uni doing coursework.

My favourite part of the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Programme
It’s all been such a formative process for me, but I'd say above all, the work culture and the people. I’m consistently impressed and inspired by what's around me, whether that's by WIP on the walls of the studio, being taken to a motion design festival, or even our monthly motion meetings, where the team spends lunch together in a meeting room after ordering food and talking through what we’ve been up to the last few weeks.

Alongside the mentorship, the programme is built around real work, from paid freelance opportunities to apprenticeships like my role at DixonBaxi, which has helped ground the learning from day one.

I think I've very fruitfully become a product of my environment – I feel like I've grown so much as a designer and person in such a small space of time, and I’m so thankful for being given that opportunity by DixonBaxi and Adobe.

What challenged me most
I think I’ve been challenged consistently throughout my apprenticeship, which is a testament to the great atmosphere and trust I’ve been given at DixonBaxi.

One example of this was learning how to rotoscope with a fluctuating foreground/background, which I was able to handle with the great support system I have around me.

The biggest shift from uni to studio
Going from a campus that was a 15-minute walk from my house to a long commute was a massive adjustment for me. It’s made me a lot more intentional with how I spend my free time, getting real rest, seeing friends and maintaining my physical wellbeing at the gym.

The pace of industry life is something people always comment on when transitioning from uni to studio, and I’d have to agree — although I’m in a place that takes a very nurturing stance towards this transition, which I’m incredibly appreciative of.

Jack at work at DixonBaxi

How the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Programme has helped my career
Having mentorship through Adobe has been very pivotal. I had six once-a-week sessions with Adobe mentor Leonidas a couple of months back, who tailored the experience towards my goals and gave me excellent advice. It gave me confidence and a deeper understanding of freelance work and the business side of things.

It was almost like a crash course on working independently, and I've received some of the most valuable career advice since leaving university. I think confidence in your personal taste and trusting yourself is extremely useful for distinguishing creative identity, your style and knowing what environments and work you resonate with, which makes you feel creatively fulfilled.

My advice

My most useful career tip
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to be perfect. If you’ve landed a role in the studio, it's for a reason – and you’re there to learn and grow. Studios aren’t expecting mid-weight level expertise at the start of your career. Although it's good to challenge yourself and have high standards – I feel like it’s also easy to become your own worst enemy, Be kind to yourself. 

What I’d say to someone in the industry based on my experience
From a London perspective, go to as many in-person design events as you can and actively engage in the design community. University portfolio reviews, Creative Lives in Progress portfolio reviews, Nicer Tuesdays, D&AD New Blood Festival and See No Evil motion design events are all great examples.

I’m not saying go there to flog yourself – there’s a delicate way of going about these things – but to create genuine connections and get a general feel for the industry. All of the internship offers I received before DixonBaxi came from connections I made in person.

I also think learning how to talk about your work well is crucial. Design is a people-focused job, and being able to communicate ideas and show your passion really matters.

Why I’d recommend the Adobe Creative Apprenticeship Programme
I'd absolutely recommend it. It financially supported me with work when I was searching for internships, offers an incredible mentorship programme, and without Adobe I wouldn’t be working at one of the best agencies in London or growing my skills at this pace.

This article was created in partnership with Adobe. Every year, we partner with like-minded brands and agencies to support our initiative and keep Creative Lives a free resource for emerging creatives. See here to find out more about how you can work with us.