Stewart James Ainslie - ‘CV’
(The candid version)
An independent brand consultant. I help organisations clarify who they are and how they communicate.
I work independently and collaboratively — building trusted teams around projects when needed. That flexibility allows me to scale from focused strategic support to larger multidisciplinary work without the overhead or rigidity of a traditional agency model.
Over the years I’ve built a trusted network of strategists, designers, developers, writers and specialists. We operate under the moniker [a] design agency.
Rather than maintaining a large permanent agency structure, I assemble teams around the specific needs of each project.
What started as a CV quickly became a self-deprecating saga.
If you enjoy a ripper of a yarn then stick with me!
In a hurry? Smash a link.
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Design-first consultant and facilitator
Branding, Design and Strategy.
What I do— Big projects for small companies. Small projects for big companies.
Built multidisciplinary teams around projects ranging from startup launches to national campaigns. As [a] design agency, I have built a trusted network since 2015—long before this business model became fashionable.
Currently: Designing a wedding anniversary invite. Possibly my toughest brief yet.
Good pal, design inspiration and one-time associate, Kirsten Murray calls me an
“expert facilitator”.
I co-founded Don’t Walk with a former colleague and part-time partner, Mark McAulay. We do good work for some good people and are still in ‘startup mode’ when the global pandemic hits.
Mark had found success making hot sauce and marketing the best of independent food and drinks brands.
I work in-house during part of 2021 to supplement project work. We start to see the world finding a ‘new normal’. I am relieved to see that this new normal is starting to look like my ‘pioneering’ business model.
Mark left a LinkedIn recommendation for me after we worked together at EQ. I’ve occasionally wondered if this still stands after having partnered in an LLP…
I have a professional ex-partner! The seperation was very amicable and I miss him. We still catch up from time to time. We go our separate ways. I keep buying his hot sauce.
Brand consultant
2015-2018*
*I take a wee break to focus on a partnership. (See Don’t Walk LLP.).
Self employment begins! On May 4th 2015 I write a wee list of tongue-in-cheek creative agency names. ‘A Design Agency’ tops the list*.
By June 2015, I had registered the a-design.agency domain name. I moved to Edinburgh, determined to find my own clients and avoid freelancing for agencies.
a] design agency officially starts trading in August of 2015. I begin with no clients. So in reality, I start trading a little after.
*About that name—another time.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stew. I am very impressed with his commitment, flexibility, willingness to over-deliver and straight forward communication.”
—Andy Rockall, 2018
Unemployment!
2015
July-August
In June 2015 I resign from my agency job and set up as a sole trader.
Between Aberdeen and Edinburgh I spent several months figuring out whether independence was viable. I met with creatives I admired, documented conversations through NotFrom_. It became increasingly clear that I preferred building relationships over climbing agency ladders.
I stop trimming my beard. My mum is both proud and a little worried.
On the side I volunteer, spend countless hours at Business Gateway and work on side projects.
I interview Andy Harvey at Moving Brands in London. So begins a side project which I call NotFrom_ [London].
I move to Aberdeen and immediately score a job at EQ Design Ltd. This involves turning up at their studio (uninvited) because in 2010 an important part of having an agency website was to encourage people to ‘just pop in’. And I am the type of person who holds companies to their word.
Thankfully Mark Kemp and his team were willing victims. Over the next five years I progress from junior to senior designer.
Along the way I work on brand, web, marketing and graphic design projects. Large clients include accountancy, legal, tech, sports and energy firms. A firm favorite is a rebrand for a boutique architecture firm.
JAM studio, aren’t afraid to differentiate their identity from their competition. EQ Design claims the prize for launching the first (truly) responsive website in the North East of Scotland too. We celebrate with brunch paninis.
I work for Mark for five years. Along the way I pick up design, project management and strategy skills.
I leave EQ with a reputation for challenging convention and some excellent quotes from Mark…
“Maverick” “Loose cannon” and “Rogue”.
Note: Mark establishes FortyTwo Studio about six months after I depart Aberdeen. I still count him as a friend and dread competing with FortyTwo Studio.
My first role relating to design is at MailBoxes Etc in Stirling (Scotland).
The business punches far above our weight in terms of clients, partly as a result of the financial crash. As big business cuts budgets, we fit a niche and find ourselves providing graphic design and print to some pretty heavy hitters.
Mailboxes Stirling is part of the MBE franchise. This store rises to the top ten for print within that franchise. I’m part of a team of three and the learning curve is a steep one.
Graham Angus (owner) says it better than me,
”Working with Stewart was a pleasure, he approached everything with great enthusiasm and vigour. He could take a brief and produce quality work within the deadlines set and customers appreciated that Stewart would go that extra mile to deliver. I would recommend Stewart to anyone who wanted quality graphic design.”