Great projects start with great people. Studio Stories is our way of taking you behind the scenes and introducing you to the people behind the work, their backgrounds, how they think, and what drives them.
This time, we’re talking to Beth Gordon, our Senior Designer.
Tell us a bit about your background
I studied New Media at Leeds University, which was basically a mix of graphic design and web design. I wasn’t sure which route I wanted to go down, but at that point I was leaning more towards web.
After university, I got a job doing web design for small brochure sites and ecommerce platforms. That role involved coding the front end of sites as well as designing, and I pretty quickly realised that wasn’t what I actually enjoyed.
After that, I moved into more of a graphic design role, but after four years working on the same clients, I knew I wanted something with a bit more variety.
How did you end up joining Vida, and what does your role look like now?
I found Vida on Indeed when I’d got to the point where I knew I wanted something different.
I was thrown straight in, but I hadn’t had much experience of presenting to clients before, so it was a pretty big adjustment. At first, I was quite nervous about showing my work, getting feedback, and I wasn’t pushing back on ideas. Over time, I got a lot more confident in both my work and my process.
A lot of that came from working with Chris in the design team. We’ve got different ways of working, which has been a good thing – it’s helped me build confidence in my own process and figure out what works best for me.
In terms of what I do, it’s a bit of everything to be honest. I work across graphic design, brand work, brand development, UI stuff, web design, and retainer work, depending on what’s needed.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Definitely the variety. It keeps things interesting and I like that I’m not stuck doing one type of project all the time.
At the moment, I’m really enjoying the UI side of things. With brand work, you can sometimes get a bit bogged down in it and overcomplicate things. UI feels a bit more regimented – there’s still loads of room to be playful, but it’s more system-based, which I really like.
How do you handle creative blocks?
Usually by stepping away from it for a bit. I used to spend hours pushing things around on a page and hoping it would suddenly click, but I’ve found it’s better to leave it for a few hours or even a day, then come back to it with fresh eyes.
Is there a project you’ve particularly enjoyed working on?
NCEP stands out for me. Sometimes we’ll just do a brand or a website with an existing brand, but with NCEP I was involved in the whole thing – the discovery workshop, the moodboards, the brand routes, the sign-off, then the website.
It was also a really fun project creatively. Because they’re an arts charity, there was more room to be playful with it, and the client was great to work with as well.
What’s something people don’t always see about your work that they should?
Probably all the work that comes before we show anything to a client – routes that get pushed to one side, or little variations that helped us get to the final design.
Sometimes you can spend hours trying to get something to work, and the client only sees the polished version at the end.
Favourite TV show?
I’m rewatching Ted Lasso at the minute. It’s one of those really nice, easy watches, but also genuinely funny and well written.
The Good Place is another great one too. The concept is so good, and I think they ended it really well.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I play football for a women’s team, so I train in the week and play matches at the weekend. I’ve also been trying to get a bit fitter, so I go to the gym quite a lot as well.
Other than that, it’s mostly walking the dog and making sure he doesn’t eat anything he shouldn’t!
