Gretel is an independent branding, strategy and design studio based in Brooklyn, NY.
Gretel is an independent branding, strategy and design studio based in Brooklyn, NY.
From there the work spread out. Daycare logos, food brands, rock festival websites, EU institutional platforms, luxury housing identities. I never chose one lane. The variety kept me sharp and kept me learning.
I don’t believe in overcomplicating things. If something can be simplified, I simplify it. If something’s working, I keep it. Most of the time it’s about looking at what’s there and improving it where it matters. I’d rather listen, understand what’s needed and respond. It tends to lead to better relationships and better work.
Drawing cartoons in the 80s was probably where it started. Saturday mornings copying characters from step-by-step sketch shows, then tweaking them into my own versions, much like my kids do now. That was just what I did.
Graphics came later at technical college because it felt different. Less about drawing and more about solving something, speaking to people through design, shape and typography. Even after 25 years freelancing, the starting point hasn’t really changed. Mind map first, pen to paper second. Work out what it’s about before tarting it up.
Agency life didn’t suit me. I was young, the pace was fast and the nurturing wasn’t there. So I moved into a small print and design studio and realised not all design is cutting edge and bells and whistles. Most clients just need things explained clearly. It was methodical, sometimes boring, but it put things in perspective and that grounding stuck.
In 2000 I moved to Madrid. New country, basic language skills, fast-moving startup environment without a comfort zone. That forced me to stand on my own two feet, linguistically and creatively. Get stuck in. Figure it out. Deliver. You don’t get much more Yorkshire than that.
