Making the LEAP is a series of brief interviews where we meet some new members of the LEAP team who have recently made the leap from university studies into a role at LEAP London or LEAP Create.
Ben Grove graduated from the University of Portsmouth with a BA Honours degree in Graphic Design and is a Junior Creative Designer at LEAP Create.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
In my free time I surround myself with everything design, I’m always practicing in all areas of design such as illustration, photography, and graphic design itself.
Did your studies help prepare you for your career?
I would say that my studies did help prepare me for my career to an extent. The idea that we at LEAP can help clients present themselves better to their audience is something that I’m proud to do, and my lecturers from university helped me follow that idea.
The variety of work that we produced on my course helped set us up for whichever route into design we wanted to go into. However, it never dove deep into any of those areas because there was so much to cover. Being at LEAP and working with the amazing people here, I learn new things every day such as the finer details of marketing and design.
How did you get into the marketing industry?
Since starting my journey into design, the marketing side of it always interested me, but I graduated in 2020 and struggled to get a job in design due to the pandemic.
What do you most enjoy about your work?
In my role as a Junior Creative Designer, I’m always learning new things and developing. I’m always creating a wide array of work for a lot of different clients. I enjoy the variety of clients and work in marketing and advertising. I also enjoy the teamwork and collaboration involved in my job, both with people in my department and other departments too.
What is the project you’re most proud of so far?
I’m really proud of the LEAP Listens podcast that we’ve started at LEAP Create. I’ve helped out with the artwork and the animated social posts for the podcast. Not only am I proud of the work that I’ve produced for the podcast, but I’m proud of the podcast in general. It’s starting to grow an audience, and it’s also really informative with some great guests giving really good marketing advice.
Is there something your colleagues might not know about you yet?
My colleagues probably don’t know that I’m a huge Marvel nerd, both the comics and the films. I probably know a bit too much about it all, but it really inspired me when I was younger to continue drawing and that got me to where I am today.
What advice would you give to someone interested in working in this field?
Keep pushing yourself to learn new things because you’d be surprised by what you can do. Also, surround yourself with the marketing and design world and take inspiration from others. It’s a whole community of people who are always developing, and this has an impact on the marketing and design world as a whole.
Where would you like to imagine yourself to be (career-wise) in 5-10 years’ time?
In the next 5-10 years, I’d like to say I’m still working at LEAP as a senior or a lead in some area of design. From the short time I’ve been here at LEAP they’ve got me hooked, and I’d really like to develop here.