We Are Randox | Introducing our Randox Health Grand National Graphic Designer, Anne Smith
We Are Randox | Introducing our Randox Health Grand National Graphic Designer, Anne Smith
As a global company with over 1400 employees of 44 different nationalities, we know that the key to success is having a diverse and multi-talented team.
We’re passionate about celebrating the talent and creativity of our Randox employees who make Randox as great as it is today, and who each have their own unique and interesting story to tell.
This week, we had a quick Q&A session with our Lead Graphic Designer, Anne Smith, to hear about her role in Team Randox and what makes her job so exciting.
Spoiler Alert: She’s designed the logo for the world’s greatest race…
Anne, tell us a bit about your background and how you came to be Lead Graphic Designer at Randox.
I studied Art for GCSE and A-Level before choosing to study Graphic Design and Illustration at Ulster University’s Belfast Campus. My course was really interesting and it allowed me to get to grips with using digital design software, including the key Adobe software packages; Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. I particularly enjoyed studying the more niche design areas of Typography and Illustration, and learning these new skills instilled in me the ambition to work in a fast-paced, international company with a wide range of different design projects on offer. I wanted to not only utilise my current design skills, but also have the opportunity to learn new ones. So that’s what motivated me to apply for a job at Randox when I graduated!
How did you originally find out about roles in Graphic Design at Randox?
I found out about opportunities in Graphic Design at Randox through the Job Centre NI. Randox has always been a name that people in Northern Ireland know as a key business and employer, but I never really thought about there being Graphic Design jobs in a diagnostics company! I suppose most people think of Graphic Design jobs being in Design or Marketing Agencies, but it’s important to know that many major companies have their own in-house Design Teams. Randox is one such company and has provided me with an incredibly dynamic, exciting job because there’s always something new going on here.
What are the different Graphic Design roles across the company?
We currently have a team of seven Graphic Designers here at Randox and we work across a range of our product divisions. We each have a dedicated product group which we look after – so that could be Randox Quality Control, Randox Biosciences, Randox Health, Corporate Events, or anything in between. As the company grows and the demand for more design material increases, we will want to expand the Graphic Design Team even further.
What does being a designer at Randox involve on a daily basis?
Graphic Design is so varied – one minute I could be designing brochures for a new Randox product, and the next presenting a storyboard concept to our Marketing Managers for a new corporate video. Within each product group we work on producing promotional material such as brochures, pop-up stands, social media graphics, and newsletters. I also look after corporate design such as employee business cards and recruitment adverts.
What has been your proudest achievement while working with Randox?
That would definitely have to be when my design for the Randox Health Grand National logo was officially finalised and released to the public! A lot of hard work and creativity went in to designing the new logo for the world’s greatest race and I’m proud to say that it’s my design.
How did the opportunity come about to design the Randox Health Grand National logo?
We’re very proud of the fact that at Randox we have such fantastic talent in our Marketing teams, and as such we like to keep all elements of our Marketing in-house. When Randox Health and our partners at The Jockey Club decided to create a new logo to accompany the new sponsorship, our Graphic Design Team were given the opportunity to come up with our ideas for the new logo. The final decision was then a two-step process – we presented our logo ideas to our Randox Marketing Managers, and The Jockey Club Team, and we also let all Randox employees vote for their favourite logo. I was delighted when my design was chosen!
What’s the creative process involved in coming up with a new design?
Every piece of design is different but in this instance there were a lot of key messages we wanted to get across with the Randox Health Grand National logo. When we’re asked to produce a new design we’re usually given a brief with the key messages, and in this case it was the speed, agility and excitement of horse racing. So I went away and came up with a few different concepts that I felt portrayed this speed and excitement, and after much consideration chose my final design!
What does it feel like knowing your design will be seen by 600,000,000 people across the world during the Randox Health Grand National?
Really exciting! Our team went to the Grand National 2016 in April, and the site is incredible. The racecourse and the surrounding site is so expansive, and to think that my logo will be displayed across it, and therefore seen by the world, is just amazing.
Between now and April when the Randox Health Grand National takes place, what artwork will you be creating?
There’s a lot of branding that needs to be done – for the racecourse, the Aintree site, the Liverpool area, and additionally lots of adverts, editorials and online branding such as for our website and social media. We won’t be short of work to do!
Do you have any advice for people considering a job in Graphic Design?
There are many challenges that come with working in Graphic Design. Quite often the creation of a new design can be a lengthy process, as you will have to make several changes and amendments to a design before a final concept is chosen. However, it is important to appreciate the huge amount of thought and consideration put in to each and every element of a new design, and to know that all the hard work will be worth it in the end! There is no prouder feeling than seeing your hard work going to print. I never thought that I would be the Designer for the Official Randox Health Grand National logo, but here I am, and I couldn’t be prouder.
If you have any questions for Anne about what it’s like working in the Randox Graphic Design Team, you can contact her via email: anne.smith2@randox.com or for current vacancies, click here .
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App that warns children about dangerous stress levels wins Randox Invent 2016 award
A gaming app that helps children learn how to deal with stress and prevent serious mental health problems has scooped one of Northern Ireland’s most prestigious prizes for innovation during the annual INVENT Awards. Entrepreneur Fintan Connolly, a pharmacist, won the Randox-sponsored Life and Health category for his app which is based on providing real-time biofeedback to players – educating young people and helping them consciously control their emotions.
Following the ceremony last night an emotional Fintan said,
“This is a validation of all I’ve done – it is recognition that you’re on the right path, that what you’re doing is meaningful. I’ve always been fascinated by stress particularly in young children, and I wanted to upskill kids to help them deal with everyday situations. Young people face greater mental health problems today than ever before – the figures are startling and frightening. If they don’t understand the concept of self-regulation – they can’t understand the sense of empowerment. However by showing them in a visual way what is happening inside them, they get it. You use technology to help them because that is their domain.”
As well as sharing the £33,000 prize fund, the Take Ten team now travels to California as part of the NI Tech Mission. TakeTen are due to launch an advanced version of the app next month, which is designed to specifically support children diagnosed with cancer. Early in the New Year, they’ll also begin trials of the app in schools in California.
Randox Chief Scientist John Lamont who was part of the judging panel said,
“We were very proud to sponsor the Life and Health award at Invent 2016. This competition, run by Catalyst Inc, plays a crucial role in supporting the many inspiring innovators across Northern Ireland. We recognise that desire as it was of course the very reason Dr Peter FitzGerald established Randox and why we established our own student and graduate programmes, which had a record intake this year. The judges were blown away by the quality of the ideas we were presented with during Invent 2016, and every one that made it through to the finals of this prestigious competition deserved their place. Fintan’s passion to improve the health of young people was clear from the start and his app has great potential. We look forward to following his journey and wish him the very best in the future.”
For further information contact Nicola McHugh nicola.mchugh@randox.com
