Get to know our first Design Lead, Heath Dyer below.

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Tell us a little about your most recent work experiences...

Well, I started out in print doing graphic design, learning skills like layout, typography, repro, manual colour separation etc. Later I moved into digital design, creating digital ads and other online marketing media, including designing, and building interactive websites using Flash (no one uses Flash anymore 10-15 years later 😊), as well as learning basic html and CSS.

I’ve led (and built) small and medium sized design teams, where my various responsibilities included defining and managing processes, managing, and mentoring juniors, liaising with different stakeholders, pitching concepts to clients, originating art direction and branding, creating media for different marketing and social media applications.

I’ve designed websites and apps for various functions to support marketing campaigns, or other systems to help users with specific service needs.

Along my way I’m become fascinated with human centred product design, understanding the user, their needs and designing valuable experiences that help the user. Occasionally I’ve been exposed to service design as well, this is an area I would like to explore more in the future if I get the chance, but time will tell.

Lately (the last 8 months) I’ve been freelancing and working on some interesting start-up projects.

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Don’t be shy, tell us your super powers!

Well, if a superpower is buying and collecting vinyl records (see below)! 😜

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Share a little bit about your personal interests...

• … I buy and collect a lot of vinyl records (I have about 4000), CDs and cassettes, currently sitting in a container waiting to be shipped to the UK!
• I play Squash and Cricket (well used to before Covid).
• I enjoy taking long walks and hikes
• I love mid-century furniture

• I walk (and play with) our neighbour's border collie (named Molly) during the week, as our neighbour has parkinson’s, and it is becoming difficult for her to walk and exercise her dog.

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Which small business do you personally love the most...

I would have to say the small vinyl businesses in South Africa where I buy/bought records from, these are mostly brick and mortar businesses.

I love hearing the stories from some of the older owners (you know those ‘back in their day’ stories), or them recommending an album or artist you didn’t know, it is great fun and exciting to discover new sounds!

[For the future] I would love to start my own business designing and making (with my own hands) beautiful pieces of bespoke mid-century inspired furniture. Something vastly different to working on a computer all day, something old-worldly. As a side note my granddad had his own furniture business for decades, he was a joiner / carpenter, I find that so inspiring.

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Favourite movie, song and food!

• Some movies: Back to the Future, Goonies, 2001 Space Odyssey, A Wonderful Life, Blade Runner, Interstellar, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, etc. do I need to say any more? 😊
• Songs: Too many to choose from, it changes all the time (based on my CD, Record and Cassette collection)!

• I don’t have a favourite, tasty food is tasty food! As a kid I loved (still do) roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, these days love Sushi and a good burger too! Speaking of burgers, Linda McCartney Foods (available here in the UK, though also available in South Africa as well) make great vegetarian burgers, which I love!

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Welcome to the Thriday family, Heath!