Poppy Marriott
Graphic designer Poppy Marriott on the AI clause you need in your contract
From fanzines to 90s rave flyers, analogue, tactile print has shaped Poppy Marriott’s distinct visual style, working across music, fashion and film. And, they firmly believe in design as a grassroots tool, offering a pay-what-you-can graphic design initiative on the side. Poppy first entered the music world as a gig photographer, before pivoting into graphic design and art direction for artists and festivals. “It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now,” they say. Here’s how it unfolded.
About my work
My creative practice
I’m a graphic designer, art director and photographer, mainly working in music, fashion and film. My work is DIY, analogue, collage-y and maximalist – I am a staunch hater of generative AI. A huge part of my work is about how design can be used as an activist tool. I run a pay-what-you-can initiative for charities and community groups to make sure my services are affordable to those who need them.
Influences and inspiration
I take a lot of inspiration from print media, specifically fanzines, 90s rave flyers and anything that looks like it was made with scissors, glue and a scanner.
My training
I studied photography at undergrad and spent the majority of my three years in the darkroom. I honestly learnt more from the technicians than from any of my uni modules. With design, I’m almost entirely self-taught; it was only after I’d been working as a designer for a few years that I decided to do an MA in visual communication. I’ve learnt pretty much everything I know from YouTube tutorials.
Favourite recent project
I do creative direction for an artist called MAIA, working with her on releases this year and creating the artwork, lyric videos and visualisers. Working with an artist to carve out a cohesive visual identity and how it plays out across different mediums is really fun. MAIA has a new song coming out at the end of July and I love how the artwork turned out. Keep your eyes peeled.
A day in the life
My sleep schedule is not great, so my day usually starts around midday and I work either from home or a cafe. I try to get my admin out of the way first and then work through my tasks for the day. I do my best work in the evening, so I usually have a break from 4pm–8pm and then work 8pm–midnight. I have quite a few clients in the US, so having at least a few hours that fit their timezone is really helpful.
A starter pack for my job:
- Notion (for project management)
- Sony noise-cancelling headphones
- Pipeline punch monster
- Muji Free Monthly Weekly Schedule Notebook
- M&S Cheese and Marmite Sandwich
- 100 gecs’ Boiler Room set on YouTube
- This Interview with the Vampire meme that I have stuck to my computer:
How I got here
Starting my creative journey
It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now. I’ve gone down a lot of different paths and explored a lot of different careers. At 18, I started as a music photographer, working throughout university until COVID shut the gig industry down. Around that time, I started learning more about design and figuring out how I could apply my photography skills to the practice.
I did my MA during COVID, mainly to have a formal qualification on my CV; then I started applying to agencies. For four years, I worked in marketing and creative agencies before making the jump to full-time freelance. I’d been working freelance alongside agency work, so I’d built up a decent amount of experience and clients. It was the project management that was the hardest to adjust to. I’ve definitely been lucky to land some of the clients I have, but I’ve also worked incredibly hard.
Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
With photography, I reached out to every single local magazine/touring company/music venue and asked if they needed a photographer. A couple said yes, and before I knew it, I had a decent enough portfolio to reach out to bigger magazines, venues and artists directly.
With design, it’s been almost entirely through social media. I’m still not sure how, but some of my biggest (and dream) clients have reached out to me directly through Instagram.
Biggest challenges along the way
Being paid what you’re worth, and being paid on time. People will absolutely try to take advantage of you if you’re younger and new to the industry. I was blacklisted by a big music magazine for asking to be paid on time and enforcing freelancer law for late payment. People will try to intimidate you, but you have rights – make sure you know them before working with clients. Especially today with AI, I’ve now added a clause in my contract which means clients can’t take my work and feed it into generative AI.
My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
I’m really not the best at social media, but it really is the best tool we have as creatives. Don’t be discouraged by the algorithm. On analytics alone, my posts don’t look like they get that much reach, but all but one of my current clients has found me through Instagram. In terms of actually creating content, I screen record a lot of my work so I don’t actually have to make anything ‘specifically’ for Instagram - it’s work I’d do anyway; I just film it and edit it for socials.
Three things I've found useful in my career:
Courses, programmes, initiatives, access schemes or job boards I've found helpful
- YouTube is your best friend – if there's a style you want to try or a technique you want to learn, there's a high chance there's going to be a video on it.
- Sharpen is a really good tool for fake branding design briefs, so you can develop a portfolio.
- Try to be involved in your local creative scene. In Norwich, there are lots of classes across different mediums – life drawing, pottery, silversmithing – and I try to go to as many exhibitions as possible. I find seeing and creating physical work has a massive impact on my creativity.
My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
Don’t rely on people paying you on time and always have a backup. It’s a huge issue for freelancers, but unfortunately one that you’ll have to deal with. Always have a contract too. Make sure you take the time to understand each part of it. Even if it’s a simple one to start, you need to protect yourself and your work.
Advice
My most useful career tips
Don’t forget to charge for the time you spend researching, emailing and talking to clients. Have a proper project management system (not just a notebook!) and a system to track your finances. You need to know how much you’re earning and how much you’re spending. Keep all your receipts. If you’re working from home, make sure you go outside every day, even if it’s just to get a coffee. Back everything up; do not rely on the cloud.
What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Social media is going to be your absolute biggest tool. Put the work you want more of in your portfolio; people respond much more to portfolios that have personality and a distinct style versus one that tries to appeal to everyone.
