Meet team Alive – Mason
Meet Mason, our car-mad junior designer who has joined team Alive in between studying for his degree. Here we put him in the driver’s seat, to reveal all about his first experience working in a creative agency and why a visit to Iceland is on his wishlist.
When did you join Alive?
I’m currently studying for a degree in graphic design at Coventry Uni. I was pointed in Alive’s direction by a mutual contact, when I mentioned I was looking for somewhere to complete my industry placement. I officially joined the team here in May and I’ll be staying for just over a year.
What are your key responsibilities?
It’s great to see what life is like at a busy creative agency and I’ve already learnt so much! I’m getting to help with all sorts of different projects, from designing website banners and infographics to van wraps, which is giving me a broad understanding. The whole experience has already confirmed for me that this is the direction I wish to go in after I finish my degree.
What projects do you most enjoy working on?
One of my favourite projects to date has been working on a client’s inhouse magazine. It was like a puzzle, working out an editorial layout with all the content supplied. I enjoyed seeing the whole thing come together and having a happy client at the end of it. I also like all the illustration jobs I get to work on, as they allow you to be super creative.
What’s it like working at Alive?
This is the first office-based job I’ve had and to be honest – it’s great! Being able to sit with all the designers and learning from them is brilliant. I’m just trying to take it all in and listening to their experiences, which is helping me gain knowledge I’d never otherwise get.
There’s a great atmosphere too. Everyone in the team knows each other really well and when the pressure is on everyone pulls together to focus and get the job done.
Where are we most likely to find you outside of work?
Probably in Coventry seeing my girlfriend and uni mates’ or fitting new parts for my car!
I recently bought an Audi TT that I’m planning to do up. There’ll be lots of mechanical stuff to tackle and I’m very excited to get started. When I was a child I loved to build things. I started off with Mechano sets and as I’ve got older, the projects have just got bigger!
Finally, something we’d never guess about you?
As a family we love off-roading and me, my mum, dad and younger brother will take the Defender out together to different 4×4 centres and tracks across the UK. We once drove up to Coventry and made it a rule that we couldn’t drive on normal roads, which understandably took a lot longer than usual!
We’re hoping to take the Defender abroad at some point, hopefully to Iceland or Tanzania where there’s a big off-roading vibe. That’s the dream anyway!
I also recently bought a Drone (Mavic Pro 3), which I intend to get my licence for and to use to film all sorts, including our off-roading – and my Audi, when I eventually get it to track.