I’m Craig Jamieson. An executive creative leader, director and design professional.
About me
I’ve spent nearly three decades working across design, creativity and technology.
My work has moved across brand, content, product and service, but the common thread has always been the same: understanding how ideas take shape and how better decisions lead to better experiences.
Today, I work across creative leadership, design and advisory, while continuing to teach, mentor and make.
I’m based in the UK and work with people and organisations locally and internationally.
Journey
My career has moved through several distinct stages, but each one has built on the last.
I began by making the work myself, then moved into leading teams, taking on broader organisational responsibility and, more recently, advising others.
The titles changed, but the thread running through all of them has been the same: understanding the work deeply enough to help shape what happens around it.
Maker
I began as a designer, building an independent digital practice and learning through making.
I worked directly with clients, experimented with emerging technology and took ideas from concept through to delivery. That gave me a practical foundation in design, creativity, technology and business.
Leader
Moving into advertising changed the scale of the work.
My focus shifted from what I could make myself to what a team could create together. Creative direction, collaboration and developing people became central to how I worked.
Executive
In executive roles, the responsibility widened again.
The challenge was no longer only the work itself, but the systems, teams, standards and decisions around it. I became increasingly interested in how organisations create the conditions for good design to happen consistently.
Advisor
Advisory is a natural extension of that experience.
I work with founders, executives and creative leaders to clarify problems, challenge assumptions and think through decisions about their work, teams and organisations.
What I do
I work where creativity, design, technology and business meet.
That can mean shaping an early idea, defining a product or service, improving a customer experience, building a design system, strengthening a creative function or helping leadership find clearer direction.
I move comfortably between strategy and delivery, depending on what the problem needs.
How I work
I work with founders, teams and organisations to turn ambitious ideas into clear, well-made products, services and experiences.
My role changes depending on what is needed. That can mean setting direction, strengthening a team, challenging decisions, connecting design and technology, or getting directly involved in delivery.
Start with clarity
Before making anything, I want to understand what needs to change, why it matters and how success will be measured.
That creates a stronger basis for every decision that follows.
Keep the right people close
Good outcomes rarely need a large team. They need experienced people with complementary skills, working closely together.
Small, senior, multidisciplinary groups tend to move faster and make better decisions.
Bring technology in early
Digital design and technology should develop together.
Involving technical thinking from the beginning makes ideas more realistic, more resilient and easier to carry through.
Make things early
Ideas become easier to judge once they are tangible.
Prototypes and early design directions create something real to test, discuss and improve before too much time is invested.
Focus effort where it matters
Presentations are useful when they clarify thinking or move a decision forward. They become a problem when explaining the idea starts taking more time than developing it.
I would rather spend that energy making, testing and improving.
Validate continuously
Research should inform the process throughout, not appear at the end as a final check.
Testing assumptions early makes it easier to learn, adjust and avoid expensive mistakes later.
Work openly
I do not believe in disappearing for weeks and returning with a finished answer.
Sharing progress as it develops keeps people involved, surfaces issues earlier and creates better decisions.
Stay close to delivery
A strong idea can easily lose its shape during implementation.
Staying involved through delivery helps protect the original intent while adapting it to the realities of production.
Keep improving
Launch is a point in the process, not the end of it.
What happens afterwards should inform what changes next, whether that means refining the product, the experience or the way the team works.
What I bring
I have worked independently, in agencies, in-house, in consultancies and with startups.
That experience has taken me across advertising, financial services, technology, healthcare, entertainment, property and retail, and across Africa, Europe, Asia and North America.
It has also made it difficult for me to see disciplines in isolation.
Brand affects product. Product affects service. Technology changes what is possible. The way a team is organised affects what it can make.
I tend to look for those connections.
I am particularly interested in how technology continues to change design, and what AI now means for how creative work is imagined, made and delivered.
Recommendations
I worked with Craig on some huge projects and found his knowledge, skills, and approach made for a great combination. His approach to team work and setting direction worked really well. I highly recommend Craig.
Derek Tedder
Craig led the Design Function at MOHARA for three years, bringing a wealth of knowledge and strategic expertise to the role. He excels at leading teams and made significant contributions at both the board and leadership levels.
Richard Sams
Craig turns complex briefs and challenges into beautiful solutions that work, he profoundly gets design thinking and working in a way that makes him a leader in his field and a pleasure to work with.
Dave Duarte
I had the pleasure of working with Craig Jamieson at MOHARA Ventures, and I can confidently say that he is one of the most effective design managers I’ve ever worked with.
Karma Spies
One of Craig’s greatest strengths is his capacity to lead and inspire a diverse team of designers. He fosters an environment of collaboration and innovation, encouraging his team to push boundaries while maintaining a clear vision and high standards of quality.
Yvonne Mason
Craig's emphasis on fostering a close relationship between designers and developers significantly reduced miscommunication and streamlined our processes, leading to higher quality outputs. His leadership and collaborative approach have been instrumental in driving our design infrastructure forward.
Cameron Olivier
He has dedicated himself to mentoring and creating an environment where designers of all levels can thrive and grow. His ability to recognize and build on each individual's strengths is remarkable.
Jason van der Linde
Throughout our time working together, Craig has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, deep expertise in product design, and an unwavering commitment to mentoring and developing his team.
Fernando Scharnick
Craig Jamison has been and incredible leader, teacher and mentor, his design skills and attention to detail are exceptional, but also on a human level he is compassionate and so patient!
Gomez Bakwene
Craig has been an outstanding leader to work with. His dedication and enthusiasm for delivering top-notch design work, combined with his skill in fostering creativity among all team members, have greatly contributed to my growth as a designer.
Simone Formato
Pure talent wrapped up in a brilliant mind. A leader of people. He stands up for what is right, is tenacious and persevering. Loyal, reliable and highly intelligent. Not afraid to have hard conversations and will make sure the job get done.
Shera Deavall
Craig is one of the best creative directors I have ever worked with. His deep passion for innovation and craftsmanship is inspirational, and anyone who has had the pleasure of working with him will feel this contagious energy.
Kyle Bowman
Craig is an extremely talented and creative all-round designer. He is able to operate successfully at both a strategic and implementation level.
Ivone Veiga-Moroldo
Craig is one of the most knowledgeable, inspiring creative minds I have work with on and off over the plus 10 years. At Nedbank, he built and lead strong creative teams to deliver on the digital values and goals that Nedbank is out to achieve.
Lara Lee Templemore-Walters
Having worked with Craig at multiple stages in my career, from an intern to a senior copywriter level, at each of them, an element that remained consistent is that Craig is always willing to teach, to guide and assist.
Ridwaan Goolam Hoosen
He defined the creative vision for design in the corporation and engaged with senior stakeholders to establish it. He helped build a strong and productive design team of over 100 people and created a great culture to work in.
Mike McLeod
He grew a mature design team of over 100 designers/problem solvers from the grassroots up, built a world class Design System and delivered customer centric digital products, experiences for our users.
Angus Ewing
I highly recommend Craig as someone who can lead companies and their teams into forward thinking, solutions driven design that solves at the heart of both the user and business requirements.
Junaid Gaibi
As a colleague, Craig was incredibly generous with his time and expertise. Craig would always guide in a way where his team would feel heard and respected in their opinion.
Louise Salemink
He is a fierce and yet humble leader who has a passion for design and most of all a passion for developing people to reach their full potential.
Leonard Ngobeni
Craig is an amazing leader and creative thinker. Anyone fortunate enough to work or collaborate with Craig will definitely broaden their knowledge of the Digital World and learn valuable tricks of the trade.
Priscilla Tencaramadon
Craig runs a courses and design for us, and his results are superb. His dedication and experience come through in his teaching, as well as his commitment to results. Who else do you know that takes design tutorials for fun?! He's a master.
Dave Duarte
Craig takes his work very seriously and goes beyond the call of duty to produce awesome digital campaigns. He is committed to inspire because he is in touch with the digital world.
Katinka Pretorius
In those two years Craig and his team consistently produced work of high standard, driven by strong ideas, backed by striking design, impeccably executed and fully integrated into the multiple channels that each project required.
Greg Cameron
He is highly skilled in the digital creative, business, client relationships and people management, with an expert knowledge in the area of digital marketing, all of which has been demonstrated through his very successful role as Digital Creative Director of M&C SAATCHI ABEL.
Jason Murison
I have worked with Craig both as a client and provider. Craig's insights into design and strategy have shaped many of my views about creative businesses and his integrity is inspiring.
Paul Jacobson
While working with Craig across our Cape Town & JHB agencies I came to know that Craig has a strong technical background with very high creative standards.
Clair Rivera
Craig is a amazing creative director always supportive and highly skilled in design and website design. His got a great eye for detail and is always up to date with new trends nationally and internationally.
Shameema Lewis
He has the ability to organize and supervise his studio for successful project completion, whilst keeping the morale of the team up and motivating everyone even with an impossible deadline looming.
Gizelle Canavan
As a digital designer, Craig is an absolute perfectionist and a strong conceptual thinker who is constantly pushing digital into new exciting areas. As a Creative Director, he knows how to inspire teams and isn't afraid of collaboration or getting his hands dirty.
Chad Wright
Craig is a great creative and is always pushing boundaries in the digital space. He inspires he's team to ship the best work. He is the best Creative Director, I've even worked with.
Mpumelelo Macu
Craig is highly professional, knowledgeable and efficient. When faced with a challenge, he WILL find a solution.
Steffie Betts
A consummate professional, his passion for the medium, relentless drive to stay abreast of new technology, and love of detail, permeates everything he does.
Michele Sanders
I've used Craig for the last two designs of http://www.flashmagazine.com and I'm very pleased with result. Craig has a great eye for detail / color and he is a pleasure to work with.
Jens Brynildsen
Sharing
Sharing what I have learned has become an important part of my work.
I contribute through education, speaking, writing and mentorship, using my experience to help others develop their thinking, strengthen their judgement and navigate the changing role of design, creativity and technology.
Teaching
Teaching gives me a way to share the thinking behind the work.
I am interested in helping designers develop judgement, not just technical skill. How to frame a problem, explore an idea, make decisions and explain the reasoning behind them.
Speaking
I speak about design, creativity, technology and leadership.
The subjects closest to my experience are creative leadership, building design capability, moving from maker to leader, and the changing relationship between people, design and technology.
Mentorship
I mentor designers and creative leaders as they move into new stages of their careers.
The conversations are practical. We work through decisions, challenges, responsibilities and the realities of leading other people.
Books
I read across design, leadership, psychology, health, technology and whatever else makes me curious.
My library is a record of some of the books and ideas that have stayed with me.