Learning about the Industry - Jack Owen and Ice House Design

At 12:00pm this morning, we had the pleasure of meeting Jack Owen, who is one of the founders of Ice House Design, based in Bath. The company has been running for over fifteen years and it consists of a team of four designers. The company prefer to work primarily on print based briefs, but hire other businesses to assist in more digital based objectives, or they hire photographers if they need photos. Other times though, they will often use stock images or illustration when working with clients. Speaking of which, Jack told us that when it came to clients, Ice House targeted small to medium sized businesses. They don’t get many big jobs from clients, but recently they are working for the National Trust, creating some appealing design work advertising Corfe Castle. They have been completing the various stages of the brief over nine months so far, they will be receiving around thirty thousand pounds for this project.  When Ice House started out, they were doing simple freelancing, for small companies but eventually grew as they became better known. Jack told us how he was dissuaded by advertising the company too much because of costs. He explained to us that the most effective type of advertising he used was in the form of Business Cards as he could manufacture them in bulk for a lot less money. All of the work Ice House had done for clients was recorded in portfolios to which they could display to new clients. The clients they had worked for included names like Marks and Spencer and WHSmith and after completion of the briefs with these clients, Ice House were left positive feedback which was also helpful to their image. Companies that Ice House have worked for in the past are kept on the register and often come back to them for more work that needs done. It was most interesting learning from Jack about his personal experiences and a bit about the design industry we strive to work in. Jack himself was very humble, and he told us that he didn’t even have a degree in Graphics! And yet this didn’t stop him doing what he was passionate about. The most valuable lesson I learned from him was the importance of a person’s attitude. When you’re looking for a job or working for a client, the important thing is to maintain a good attitude, to show your passion for the subject. Never rely on skills alone.