Mark Greenwood

The Graphic Design course at Newcastle helped me discover what I wanted to do. It was the advertising projects that caught my imagination. The Graphics course entered me and a fellow graduate into a post-degree competition run by a couple of agencies, the prize was a job as junior art directors at D'Arcy MacManus and Masius, we were lucky enough to win it. I've been in the business ever since.

What are you doing now?

Now I am running a two-person micro-agency with my wife, who just happens to be a fellow Newcastle Graphic Designer.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

I went there mostly on the recommendation of my art teacher. What sealed it was, when I came to the Newcastle Open Day, I visited a third year graphics student, he was working in his room in Claude Gibb, cool music on the record deck, drawing the most amazing record sleeve design. This was clearly the best course in the whole world.

How connected was your course with industry?

Working on projects set by guest lecturers from the ad business were absolutely key to discovering what I could and couldn't do. We did numerous work placements, mostly unofficial, during our third year and the opportunity to discuss work with real designers and copywriters in real ad agencies was vital to progress.

What was the best thing about your course?

Undoubtably the best thing was working alongside some brilliant young designers in a really positive, supportive atmosphere, all discovering how to do design, what we were good at (and what we couldn't do).

Which skills/knowledge did you learn on your course that you use most now throughout your career?

Newcastle gave me the foundations for a career in design. The work I produced in my time there was nothing special, but I Newcastle taught me how to think. By the end of the third year I knew enough to objectively judge my own work.

greenwoodandbell.co.uk

Profile updated May 2025