Ben Thornton

18 May

INTRODUCTION

Ben is a graphic designer with a distinct love for great ideas and design-led initiatives that tackle societal issues.

Based at boutique studio Planning Unit, he has the benefit of working across a huge expanse of disciplines. Some of his recent clients include startups and charities to film studios and banks.

When he’s not working Ben likes to workout, go for walks or stress people out with his love for Bovril toast.

What was the highlight of your university experience?

I don’t know if I can pinpoint it to just one, but definitely a lot of things that happened in third year. Such as working on our ‘Connect’ graduate show and in turn, building a long-lasting relationship with my design husband Dom. It really affirmed how the next few years of my life were going to be and am thankful to have had the opportunity given to me, so massive thanks to Dan and Mike for approaching us!

University of Portsmouth - Connect Graduate Show 2019

How did you secure your first internship?

I actually landed a few in one day (very lucky I know) but these were through basically cold emailing a bunch of design studios in London I made a list of prior. A lot of studios didn't get back to me which is sadly what happens as they’re extremely busy, but a few got back after a few weeks asking for an interview! I made sure I tailored my emails to the studios, made them light-hearted and addressed them to either the hiring manager or owner.

Having interned at both big and small design studios around London post-graduation, why did you opt to join a 3-man team in the end?

As you said I had the opportunity to work at a larger more corporate studio that had maybe 120 employees. I didn't dislike the experience at all as the people working there were so welcoming and great to work with, I just felt less connected to the work I was producing. I like to see an idea from start to finish. Also some days I had little to no work to do, so I found myself walking around the studio offering help to anyone who’d take it, which was a bit embarrassing. However, the pay and perks were very good (free breakfast, access to private music events, even massages) but I feel these sort of things are there to keep you in the business really.

You’ve often told us how you prefer fast-paced, tight-turnaround projects, as opposed to long, ongoing briefs. Why is this?

Ahh well, if I have too long on a project I tend to get lost in it and go down little rabbit holes that lead nowhere (a lot like how I talk to people really). So having that time constraint really helps tell my brain “Ben, you have a week to finish this, you can’t diverge” and makes me focus and just do the work, as opposed to fretting over it constantly.

Do you have any top tips for handling the pressure of a fast-paced environment?

Take the time to breathe and assess what your goals are for the day. Write these down and go down that list, ticking off completed tasks as you go. Make sure if you’re getting overwhelmed to step away from your computer and maybe go outside for a bit. Sitting in your room all day isn’t a natural thing to do and it's easy to fester in your own thoughts. Setting yourself up for the day also helps me a lot, so going for a morning walk and it sounds stupid but making sure I eat a proper breakfast. It really does help get you into a good headspace to work.

“Sitting in your room all day isn’t a natural thing to do and it’s easy to fester in your own thoughts.”

How do you switch off at the end of a long day?

I tend to either workout in my home gym (I recently got a punchbag and my god is it great for taking out stress!) or I spend far too much time on YouTube and end up in random corners of the internet, typically watching videos on how big the universe is or how hot sauce is made.

Recently I have been able to go out with friends which is great and in the mornings I make sure I go for a walk to help calm my mind for the day ahead. I do recommend all of the above except maybe looking at how big space is, unless you want an existential crisis…

Where do your best ideas come from?

From hundreds of bad ones! I don’t really have a recipe for coming up with the perfect idea for a project, sometimes they’re the first idea I have, sometimes it’s in the shower after days of various non-starters. The creative process is weird and messy and there is a beauty in that to me. As long as you set your environment up to allow you to be creative the ideas will come.

“The creative process is weird and messy and there is a beauty in that to me. As long as you set your environment up to allow you to be creative the ideas will come.”

How has your first experience of mentoring been through our A-Team programme?

So far it has been great! The mentees have been a pleasure to talk to and it’s really informative hearing stories from them. So far the common themes that have come up centre around creative confidence and where to go next which makes sense with how COVID has affected young students. So I'm trying to lend a helping hand in that sense.

What’s your Dominos order?

Large Texas BBQ pizza with Franks hot wings. Always.

What have you learnt about yourself over the last 12 months?

That I am more confident than I thought I was. Going through both a global pandemic and starting The Arena has pushed me into situations I’d never thought I’d be in. Through this, I've learnt to be more comfortable in uncomfortable situations and it’s allowed me to be more sure of myself when adding my opinion into the world.