ICM - Leeds Design Agency

As I was driving to work this morning and stuck in the usual delightful Leeds rush hour traffic, I realised that the 4th of November 2010 marked my 8th year working for ICM. I also worked out that eight years is very nearly a quarter of my life. I’m 33 if you were trying to do the maths.

In September 2002 I came to my interview at the offices in Alwoodley. In my old ford fiesta with my best friend Byron for company, and map reading. (Yes, there was no GPS or multimap available to me at the time.)

With my A2 porfolio under my arm and 4 bags of samples. This was in the old days before digital cameras were a common item and the best way to show work was physically. Unfortunately most of the samples were glassware, and packaging. Caroline thought I had been shopping before my interview as I arrived exactly on time due to Leeds playing at home.

From Alwoodley, to Headingley now Stanningley I’ve been like part of the furniture.

From working on highly creative projects, to high volumes of artwork and sometimes ordering in pizza to studio at 10pm. To working on ideas for the Chipshop awards, The Fresh awards, Charity dinners, Christmas nights out and celebrating 5 years of ICM in York (10years next year). I have contributed to ICM in many different ways.

As well as having fantastic work colleagues, ICM has given me some great friends. Matt and Maria drove my dad and I to my wedding. Hayley that I met working at ICM 6 years ago is the Godmother to my Daughter. Even when I was on 52 weeks maternity leave I was still made to feel a part of the team. Richard has had the pleasure of sitting opposite me for most of the 8 years and has always been there on every project. The people at ICM have supported me through some difficult times and have been there to celebrate the happy ones.

• My First Christmas at ICM.

• The Fresh awards, Leeds, 2005.

• The Fresh awards, Manchester, 2005.

• Red Nose day, 2009.
• Keep fit with Lou. Roller skating in this picture. We have also tried Boxercise but mostly stuck to swimming, 2007.
• Thank you flowers from a happy client, 2009.
• Maddi’s visit to studio, 2009.
• The Great Lemur Kidnap of 2008

• My wedding, from trying on veils at lunch time in studio to actual day. The ICM team were part of it all from day one. I’m not sure how happy they were about it though.

From 25 to 33, from a size 10 to a very heavily pregnant size Large, the people at ICM have watched me grow up and outwards.

The best we can hope for with work is to do something that we enjoy or like the people you work with.
I am lucky enough to have had both for the last 8 years.

Thank you Maria, Matt, Richard, Andy, Louise, Caroline, Ian and most of all, Humphrey for a fantastic eight years.