Meet Our Team: Graphics

Ever wondered what it’s like to work in the graphics team for Bo+Tee? Well now’s your time to find out! We’ve caught up with a couple of our talented Bo+Tee graphics team members to give you an insight into their roles. Including, how they got there, what day-to-day life is like, they’re biggest achievements and lots of helpful advice for graduates.

So grab a cuppa, change into your comfiest activewear and step inside Bo+Tee’s Glasgow HQ with us…

 

LAUREN - LEAD GRAPHIC SPECIALIST

Tell us about you, your role and what your day to day’s like.

I'm Lauren and I'm the Lead Graphic Specialist at Bo+Tee. No day is ever the same for me at Bo+Tee HQ and with each new day comes an exciting new project and challenge! Myself and the team are responsible for all things graphics from website and app assets, to social media stories and marketing emails and all things visual for our events and packaging. We are also responsible for setting all collection styles for each launch which can be really rewarding seeing this rolled out and come to life across all channels! 

 

How did you land your dream job?

I studied Graphic Design for Digital Media at Glasgow Caledonian University. Soon after graduating, I was lucky to land an internship at a local Fashion & Beauty PR agency which gave me a great insight into the industry and made me realise that fashion was the place for me. A position opened up at the company and I jumped at the chance. Four years on and I'm still loving every minute of it!

 

What was your interview prep and process like?

I applied for the role via Indeed by uploading my CV and attaching my portfolio. I was then asked to complete a task that involved some editing work, creating banners for the website and coming up with an exciting email design that could be used to send out to customers. I was invited along to an interview with the Graphics Manager, Arlene, and was delighted to have been offered the job not long after!

 

 

What are your best interview tips?

Believe in yourself and be your own biggest fan! I always find it benefits talking from experience, if you can back-up any questions with evidence then that shows you have the relevant skills for the role. It also helps spark up some conversation starters and gives you something to chat about, taking a little bit of the pressure off!

 

What’s your favourite thing about working for Oh Polly/Bo+Tee?

It would be hard to choose just one thing! For me, I love seeing our concepts come to life and seeing the positive results this has on the business. Seeing ideas from the very initial stages of coming up with concepts to seeing the final result blown up at large events or on the website is extremely satisfying! We have a great team of creatives behind the brand and it's really rewarding being able to share this success with them.

 

What’s been your biggest achievement working for Oh Polly/Bo+Tee?

I'd say working on the rebrand of Oh Polly back in 2018. I hadn't been with the company for long when I was asked to put together some logo ideas for the rebrand and I was absolutely over the moon when my design was chosen as the final logo! It feels so rewarding seeing how recognisable this has now become and how this has helped shape the brand that we are today. I still get goosebumps when I see this placed up there alongside some of the biggest UK fashion brands. Kylie Jenner posting one of my designs on her Instagram story (without being paid) is also up there with one of my greatest achievements, which I'm sure not a lot of people can say!

If your colleagues were to describe you, what would they say?

I reckon my teammates would say I’m chatty (a little too chatty perhaps) and always up for having a laugh! I'm usually known for being the organised one, keeping up to date with the team's workload and knowing what we've got coming up to ensure we always meet our deadlines. I'm also very passionate about what I do and try to let this side of my personality shine through in all of the designs that I create.

 

What tips would you give to someone in their final year of university?

Think long and hard about where you would like to see yourself after you graduate. Don't feel like you have to rush, it sometimes takes time before you realise where you would like to be. In the meantime, focus on yourself and make yourself a priority. At the end of the day, that's what matters the most.

 

What advice would you give to a graduate who wanted to work in fashion?

There are a lot of fashion brands out there, pinpoint what means the most to you and what makes that brand stand out to you above the rest. Research as much as possible and become knowledgeable of the industry so you can really impress and show off your passion when it comes to the interview stage.

 

What advice would you give to a graduate who wanted to work in your role specifically?

For anyone looking to apply for a graphics role within the fashion industry, I would always advise you to start where you can. Whether this be in an internship or junior position, there is always plenty room for growth once you're in the door! When interviewing, I'm always super impressed when applicants showcase work they’ve created for the brand in their own time out-with our set task. It shows they are really keen and taking the time to get to know the brands before speaking with us.

 

NATALIE - SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Tell us about you, your role and what your day to day’s like.

I’m Natalie and I’m Senior Graphic Designer for Oh Polly & Bo+Tee. My day to day covers all things visual - from IG stories & graphic feed posts, website banners and visuals and email newsletters. Every day is different, which I love! I get to be super creative with everything I do here, and working with an amazing team helps. We get to collaborate on different projects like planning our next packaging designs or coming up with collection styles for new launches.

 

How did you land your dream job?

I studied Digital Design at university and specialised in Ux/Ui Design in my honours year. I was lucky enough to land a role at Oh Polly as Ux/Ui Designer where I began working, researching and designing for our websites! Over time I began working more closely with the Graphic Design team and have been able to grow over the years onto the role I’m in today. 

 

What was your interview prep and process like?

After applying for the role, I had a call with our MD, followed by a Ux/Ui task. After passing these stages I had an interview in the Glasgow office with Mike, our MD, and found out I’d got the job the following day! I was over the moon!

 

 

What are your best interview tips?

I’d say to not worry if you’re super nervous as everyone gets likes that, especially if it’s for a dream job! Just remember to be yourself and that you’re obviously there for a reason so believe that you’ve got this! Try to make sure you’ve done your research so you can be confident in all the answers that you give - and allow your personality to shine through as that’s what sets you apart.

 

What’s your favourite thing about working for Oh Polly/Bo+Tee?

Even after a couple of years, I still get super excited to see what the next launches are. I love being able to be part of showcasing our new launches to the world, taking it from photoshoot images to final campaign graphics that you see on social media and our websites. But for me, the best part is working with our incredible team. It's really amazing to see SO many talented people doing such a fab job at making Oh Polly and Bo+Tee the best in the business.

 

What’s been your biggest achievement working for Oh Polly/Bo+Tee?

Hands down this would have to be taking the lead of launching the Bo+Tee website. Not long after I started with Oh Polly, I was given the opportunity to research and begin designing for our brand new venture of the activewear brand that is Bo+Tee! From creating initial website wireframes, through to working alongside a development team to coordinate the build of the website we have today. This was really challenging as it was brand new, however it was so rewarding, as it led to continuous projects on both the Oh Polly and Bo+Tee websites, and helped pave the creative route for me.

 

 

If your colleagues were to describe you, what would they say?

Probably the cheery one! I like to keep positive no matter what, and I love my job so it’s not hard! :) 

 

What tips would you give to someone in their final year of university?

I remember how stressful the final year was, so I’d say to make sure to plan your time well and remember to take some time out to look after yourself as it pays off in the long run.

 

What advice would you give to a graduate who wanted to work in fashion?

Since it’s such a fast-paced and ever changing industry, try to keep up to date with current trends whether that be in actual fashion styles or graphic styles. And always be looking ahead at what’s coming up next.

 

What advice would you give to a graduate who wanted to work in your role

specifically?

Experience always helps if you’re interested in a specific role. However, if not, I’d say always be researching new graphic trends and practice how you’d create things that you see we do. I think an important skill to have in my job is to be able to really understand a brand identity and be able to design with that in mind as the smallest details can make or break a design!

If you want to find out more about our teams then make sure to check out our marketing, customer service or creative blog posts. If you're interested in applying to work for Bo+Tee and Oh Polly make sure to check out our careers page today!