Alumni

Chris Lawson

I got into web design purely by chance - I was always interested in graphic design from a young age and thought that would be my career. I was recommended a relatively new course at Northumbria, 'Interactive Media Design' and decided to try it out. Flash was pretty young at this time - I think we were on version 3 or 4 but I found I loved producing interactive pieces that people could click around and engage with. After university I managed to land a job at a company called Pilot Interactive (now MadeByPi) who primarily specialised in online games and campaigns. I was lucky enough to work for some great clients on some pretty amazing projects, with some amazingly talented people.

What are you doing now?

I now run my own company called Plump with a friend I met on my course at Northumbria.

How did studying at Northumbria help you achieve your career goals / give your career an edge?

The course was pretty diverse and I learnt a lot in the three years at Northumbria. We were lucky enough to have some great lecturers who had either ran their own businesses or had worked in the industry. They set really creative briefs that challenged and developed our skills preparing us for the commercial world.

What was the best thing about your course?

We had some really talented people on our course and I used to love seeing how they answered the same brief, not only how it looked but also how it worked. You learn a lot from the lecturers but you also learn from the people studying with you.

Who inspired you the most, and why?

If I had to pick an individual out I'd have to say my Creative Director at my old place, his work was amazing and I learnt a lot while working with him. I still get inspired by the classic works of Neville Brody, Saul Bass and Paul Rand.

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

Never stop learning. I was the same at Uni and it's the same now. The web is changing so fast, back when I started it was all about Flash websites, now it's about fluid websites that work across multiple screen sizes and multiple devices. In this industry your learning all the time.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

Meeting like minded talented people.

What advice would you give somebody who is thinking of studying at Northumbria?

I had a great time at Northumbria, the course was great, the lecturers were great, they helped students land jobs with their connections and we still get advice and help from one now. Shows they really care what happens to you at the end of your time at university, not just during. Plus Newcastle is a cool city!