Founder

Stephanie Young

Hello and thank you for visiting saydesignUK

Creativity is in my DNA and I thrive on creative challenges. Bringing an idea to life, creating something that didn’t exist before, visualising a concept into something physical. It’s amazing what we can achieve.

My journey started way back in the 1970s as a child by my Grandad’s side. In the shed making things out of scraps of wood and hoarded treasures or in the garden fascinated how a seed can turn into a tomato plant, I used my imagination to create new worlds and go on adventures. This curiosity and desire for pushing boundaries to explore all possibilities remain my core values today. I love solving problems and strategic thinking, making things come to life and getting under the hood to find the passion and core values of my clients’ business.

SAY HELLO

Throughout my 4 years of education, 10 years of employment and 17 years of an independent work life, I have ventured into various industries and learnt a myriad of skills along the way. With a diploma in Media and a higher diploma in Advertising I leapt straight out of college and into the top advertising agencies in London and Edinburgh, including Saatchi and Saatchi and The Leith Agency. I worked on some amazing projects, and not wanting to be ‘the norm’ our portfolio was handed in to Howell Henry, famous for ‘You’ve Been Tangoed’, in the form of a chest of drawers with each drawer containing a three-dimensional campaign. Also winning an award for a national press campaign and one million pound TV commercial for AOL, the first of the internet providers. Now I really am showing my age!

After living in Edinburgh I returned home and started working in a printing firm, the complete opposite end of the creative spectrum. I learnt many disciplines and became familiar with creative design software, preparing for print but also undertaking graphic design projects. The following years saw me move to Brighton where I worked in publishing and promotions, from your local night club to international airlines. As technology grow my skill sets transferred from print to digital, and that brings me to the point where I am today.

A real passion is branding as it is so important to the success of an existing or new venture. It is the message to the world of who you are, what you do and how you value your customers – and who these customers are. Before any marketing can begin a brand needs to be established. I feel branding calls on all the creative thinking and practical skills I have accumulated over the years, and I really enjoy the process of discovery – it’s very exciting!

I like to think saydesignUK can support a client from the very start with just an idea of doing something, to the final launch, and beyond. Building relationships is very important to me. The creative process involves sharing a part of our dreams, our ambition, our DNA. To have that connection and then go on to continually support that vision is what makes my work worthwhile.

I also have a social mission where I give back to communities and support marginalised groups and non-profit organisations to reach their professional goals. You can find out more about my social mission here.

And so the story continues…