I joined the Applied Intelligence division of BAE Systems (formerly the design agency Detica) delivering large scale application design for corporates and complex internal projects
The mission of our division was to deliver cutting edge solutions core to the digital revolution. As well as internal and client projects, the team were also tasked to innovate within their discipline, to surprise our clients and prospects to generate new business leads.
I worked on many briefs and projects during my time at BAE Systems. Success for me and my teams meant:
- Gaining funding internally: ensure time spent on all projects were profitable for the division, so everything had to be inspiring, yet practical.
- Supporting account growth: provide account directors something the client has never seen before to peak their interest time and time again to gain, retain & grow client accounts
- Keeping our brand credible: let the work do the talking to position BAE Applied Intelligence as a leader in human-centred design and technology
- Pushing technical boundaries: Use emerging technologies to emphasise BAE’s engineering heritage
My second stint on Southwark St and wasn’t to be the last
Working as an Art Director for BAE systems meant working hard and making sure I focussed on the following
- Trust: my primary responsibility was to foster trust and take our clients on a journey that delivers a quality output that exceeds their, and their users’ expectations
- Strong UX: Ensuring real clarity of thought and logical thinking to deliver profitable innovation from research
- Organisation: the scale of the teams, clients, partner agencies meant simple things like file structures and layers had to be librarian in quality, with tight project plans
- No skill left unturned: I joined BAE AI for the opportunity to bring together my multidisciplinary skills, experience and interests as an Art Director working with cutting edge technology
- Coaching: I pride myself in visualising interfaces that are empathetic, structured and intuitive and work to instil this ethic in all designers I work with
My work was a mix of hands-on art working, storytelling, digital transformation & strategy utilising an enviable array of resources (even a Roomba!)
I saw success with clients including Vodafone, Network Rail, BAE Systems, Lloyds Register. Working for BAE allowed me to involve myself in projects where we could push technology boundaries, taking an emergent technology and use it to tell a story better. A few i’m proud of include Lidar based 3d renderings of physical spaces that could be manipulated in the browser to applications that allowed time based strategic planning. As part of the Innovation labs, one of my ideas was proposed for patent and a pitch proposal put forward to a client.
Clients can be found across my portfolio include Vodafone and TFL and also include Nationwide, Department for Work and Pensions, LLoyds register, Network Rail, NOW TV and VISA.
