Peter set up March in 2015 with co-founder Adam Maidment after working as a full stack designer for a number of different agencies. With expertise spanning creative direction and visual design as well as UX and SEO, he leads branding and design projects from discovery and strategy phases through to implementation.
Highly valued by clients for his thoughtful and empathetic approach, Peter has driven major rebranding projects at March, including the relaunch of the Business Design Centre website and Healthy Back Bag’s transformation from a medicinal company to a fashion brand.
Before founding March, Peter worked with international companies including IKEA, National Geographic and Expedia, and developed the original branding and website for Barrecore, now the UK’s leading barre studio.
Peter has a background in fine arts and gained a Master’s in Digital Arts with distinction at university, winning Student of the Year. His journey into the digital world began with a passion for video games including Street Fighter, Metal Gear Solid, and Quake, and he thrives on combining his artistic vision with his digital expertise to create beautiful brands and websites.
Peter’s skill as both a designer and a technician has helped to establish brands including Self Space, Beata Heuman, and Intelligent People as leaders in their field.
7 Questions with Peter
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever received is that clients don’t care if you’re the best designer in the world, or the best copywriter, or the best developer. They don’t care if you produce work according to the latest trend, or on the latest software. What matters most is: how can I help this client/brand get to where they want to be? Sometimes it’s by increasing sales, sometimes it’s by boosting exposure, sometimes it’s by building brand authority. Too many designers and developers focus too closely on the craft at the expense of the result. Think in the bigger picture.
What’s been your favourite project to work on at March?
I like the variety of projects at March – no days ever feel the same and there’s a great mix of different types of work and clients. One month I might work on how a brand should look and communicate, while another month I might be responsible for boosting a website’s conversion rate or traffic.
The most interesting projects tend to be for existing brands that want to change the way they’re perceived. The Healthy Back Bag was a perfect example of this: we changed their perception from a medicinal brand to a fashion brand that carries health benefits. The project used virtually every facet of our skill set, from strategy and running focus group workshops, to brand messaging and brand visuals, to building an e-commerce platform and point of sale materials, and to marketing the brand through campaigns and SEO. They’re also a wonderful brand to work with, with an extraordinary team and product.
Describe your approach to design in three words
Understand. Plan. Create.
What inspires you?
I often think that the best ideas come when you’re not sitting at your desk or in front of a screen. I like to get outside and go running, for instance. I don’t typically listen to music, but instead focus on my breathing and internal rhythm. It gives me a chance to declutter my thoughts and approach things from a different perspective.
What’s your top tip for a day out in London?
If you hadn’t pursued a career in design, what might you have done instead?
I’d probably be working in something to do with video games. I’ve always had an affinity for video games, whether it’s making them or playing them. At university I played competitively and my final project was a strategy guide for Quake III, which I created with permission from ID Software. I wrote all the content, designed it, and coded it using a combination of 3D and Macromedia Flash (revealing my age now!)
And finally, what's your dream holiday destination?
Japan. Easy!
