Meryl Singleton
- Course
- Graphic Design BA
- Subject area
- Creative Arts
I found that despite not being the best at exams and final marks, I loved being creative and always saw myself having a creative career. I felt a bit behind my peers in terms of art experience (having not done art at GCSE or A level), so I decided to pursue the Art foundation level qualification to help me decide which creative discipline I’d like to pursue. I knew that a university degree would help me gain a better entry level job as well as an understanding of how to work in a creative business, so it was the right choice for me.
I absolutely loved Loughborough University. I found the tutors really inspiring, made some great friends (both in and out of the course) and it was definitely a completely different experience than the city university experiences that my friends had. I knew that Loughborough was looked upon highly in the art and design world, and I really felt that the tutors cared about design and our development.
My favourite part of the course was the fact we were given very realistic briefs (as if we were working for clients) which I think has helped shape my presentation and pitching skills in my current role. I also loved the social aspect of Loughborough - I’ve made friends for life, some of which I’ve lived with for 10 years now!
I’m the founder and lead strategist of Small Fry - a creative studio in London that specialises in content for social media and campaigns.
I started out interning for start-up food and drink brands, and eventually got a full-time job in social media for Vita Coco. After 18 months, I moved on to HelloFresh for another two years as Content Manager and after that I went freelance to work for brands like Linda McCartney Foods, itsu and more. The food and drink industry is a close knit community and I found that referrals came in via word of mouth and I was never short of work.
I started Small Fry as a way to work on bigger projects with a variety of creatives (rather than just freelancing solo). We’ve worked with brands such as BrewDog, Camden Town Brewery, BBC Sounds and plenty more.
Having a creative/visual degree helped massively. Social Media is hugely visual and relies on graphic design and visual trends. It’s helped me when briefing, commissioning and managing other creatives as well as when pitching and presenting ideas to clients. I also found it useful when applying to jobs using creative ways to catch the attention of the brand.
A piece of advice I would give someone would be to think about what career you would love to do, shape your applications and university path around this. There’s so much you can do with a visual degree, it’s not just graphic design! It can set you up for a creative career in any field, but just try and think about the lifestyle you’d like to lead, speak with people in similar fields and remember that it can change as you go!