Say hello to the Natives
Andy Stones
What I do
As Client Services Director I keep an eye on everything that goes on at Native and make sure clients get what they want. I love nothing more than getting my head stuck into a new challenging brief. A steady hand on the tiller :) I also oversea everything digital… from bespoke e-commerce systems to email marketing campaigns.
Where can I be found at the weekend
If the sun is shining (and I’ve not been commandeered for public service duties) then I like to get out on my road bike and crunch up the miles around Cheshire. Failing that I’m likely to be in the kitchen either cooking or baking. Saturday mornings are spent ritualistically watching Saturday Kitchen whilst devouring poached eggs and bacon :)
What’s the biggest thing on your shopping list?
I wouldn’t mind a split screen VW camper… not unlike the one on this website ;)
John Smith
What I do
As the creative director, I ensure everything that goes out of the studio looks great. I come up with ideas, with the help of the team, and the look and feel of the creative that the studio produces. I can be often seen staring into space and doodling, which to the untrained eye, looks like avoiding work. But this is the complicated and very important process of creative thinking. Sometimes, this involves long lunch breaks to consume, digest and develop ideas.
Who gets my respect
I appreciate the pursuit of creativity within industrial design, so Jonathan Ives and Steve Jobs are up there. I value ethical people who speak out on human rights issues no matter what the consequences are for themselves. I respect comments from the team especially when they are hard to hear – sometimes it's difficult not to be precious.
What do I love to do with my spare time
Well, obviously spending time with my family, but I enjoy playing video games, learning new skills, playing guitar (badly), surfing, bodyboarding and snowboarding (badly), cooking (not too badly), beach fires and camping. In fact, just drop me in the sea, and I'm happy, unless it’s in the middle of the ocean with no chance of getting rescued. I'd love to build my own man-shed from real wood, but my skills aren’t all that.
Lisa Clewley
What I do
I mostly see the jobs through the studio from inception to completion, liaising between the client and the team. I grab all the creative bits and technical bits off the clever people, hash it altogether give it a good quality once over and send it out to client… and repeat until we have a very satisfied and happy client and an equally chuffed team.
Why our office is fab
Location, Location. Having an office in the centre of town is great, near to the shops, pub and grub, and events such as the Christmas Market. Unfortunately though I pay a good percentage of my wages to the coffee shop at the end of the road! Its creative gone crazy! We have artwork and all sorts of funky critters on the walls, doors and cupboards, it’s a highly creative atmosphere. The team are great too, fun, happy creative, clever peeps that like tea… almost as much as me.
How do I most like spending my time?
Being out and about with my little family, in parks, woods, by the seaside, playing, singing, swimming, visiting friends, being visited by friends, museums, galleries, exhibitions, live bands, carnivals and festivals. When I get a few minutes to myself I like to be a bit arty and crafty, creating something out of a load of rubbish is deeply satisfying, my latest transforming plastic bags into a dragonfly wall display.
Amanda Allison
What I do
Hello, I am a designer and artworker at Native. A usual day for me can range from developing brand identities for clients, designing and typesetting brochures, creating initial visuals for websites, designing e-shots and just generally enjoying being in the office (to name a few). I also contribute to the brew making because here at Native we have a combined love for Yorkshire Tea.
Which is your favourite piece of Adobe Suite software and why?
I would have to say InDesign. Admittedly, when we first met at the old Native office (when I was a wee student), we didn’t hit it off straight away. You see, I was more of an Illustrator and Photoshop gal myself, as I had never been formally introduced to InDesign before. However, over the past few years, I have grown to love InDesign as a friend. After all, we meet every day, gather various photos and illustrations, write a few notes together, InDesign helps me with my Styles, whilst I sit in awe as the various elements I have imported are Smartly Guided and aligned. To be perfectly honest, I am not quite sure how I would live without InDesign now. Although, perhaps in time, After Effects may become my new favourite, especially after seeing all the amazing things that John has produced!
Tell us a few things about yourself that not many people know.
I would love to play the electric guitar, I once travelled to France to play basketball for the England Cadet Squad, I won a hula-hooping competition when I was in primary school, my favourite animal is an elephant, I really like blue fairy lights at Christmas and I would love to own an old school Volkswagen Beetle. However, I think the best kept secret is probably my love for 'cheesy rock' music. No one in the office knows but I am actually partial to a bit of Nickelback, Bon Jovi and Journey. Entering at a close second would definitely have to be my love for Bem Brazil and food in general, which I think I have hidden pretty well from the Natives…
Jonathan McGurn
What I do
As a developer I’m involved with all things code. This typically involves crafting web pages from John and Amanda’s cracking designs (appeasing John’s fondness for jQuery in the process), maintaining existing client sites and developing our in-house CMS. My role also involves keeping up with the torrent of new technologies that make this industry so great.