A sit down with the S8 longtimers

It has to be the brand project with OpenFortune—working with such an innovative company was incredibly rewarding. Seeing the positive reception not only from the client but also from external design sites and other platforms was a proud moment for me. Another memorable project was collaborating with NoTwoWays. As a brand I had admired for a long time, getting the opportunity to work with them truly felt like a “made it” moment.

Gridsure—the latest project I’ve been working on over the last 6 months! It’s a dashboard product which is something totally different from the e-commerce and marketing sites that have been my bread and butter.

There’ve been loads, but the biggest has to be on how much I’ve grown over the past five years. Before joining S8, I’d been freelancing for six years and had no clue what it was like to work in an agency. Back then, the team was just 8–10 people, my English wasn’t that great, and I was still figuring things out—but the team believed in me and my work.

Fast forward five years, and the team’s grown 3-4 times bigger. In that time, I’ve gone from a UI/UX Designer to a Senior role, and now I’m stepping up as Lead Designer. It’s been such an incredible journey!

Another big highlight was diving into photography and videography over the past three years. What started as a passion on the side has now become a full-on service we offer at S8. Last year, we launched a photography studio in Portugal. It came with new responsibilities, but being able to explore creativity in a new medium has been so rewarding.

I was on the other side of the world, a “digital nomad”, with almost no possessions. I now own a 4 bedroom Victorian terraced house and an increasing supply of power tools.

I was newly married when I first joined S8, and we moved to our first flat just as I joined. Four years on, we’ve got not 1, not 2 but 3 boys (a 2-year-old and 3-month-old TWINS!). Our house is in the final stages of construction, and we’re looking forward to moving in sometime in January.

When I first joined S8 I was living in England but recently I packed up all my belongings and made the move to Barcelona—something I've always wanted to do.

We moved out of the city into the countryside in the middle of nowhere, got some chickens and a cat to go with the dog and haven’t looked back.

The first one that pops into my head is my interview with Mario. I was expecting it to be super formal like all the other interviews I’d had, but it was so relaxed. We clicked straight away, and it set the tone for this whole five-year journey.

My first Shopify site. I remember the client had a pretty complicated setup and I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully the people I worked with really helped me get to grips with everything really fast and now Shopify is my favourite platform to work with.

Just one? I’m going to answer with “all of the team trips”—Budapest, Ericera, Prague, Lisbon. We’ve got such a great team who just feel like friends.

One memory that really stands out is from our trip to Ericeira. We were enjoying a pint before heading out for a night on the town when Alistair decided to head back to the room to freshen up. As he stood up, he walked straight into a glass door and bounced right back to where he had been sitting. Unfortunately for Alistair, he didn’t make it out that night—but it’s a story we’ll never let him live down (sorry, Alistair!).

Not having that 2-hour commute each day has made a massive difference. From only having 30 mins or so before my daughter's bedtime each day to now having hours. And dedicated L&D allows you time to learn even more new things!

Being a father of 3 under 2, life is very hectic. The fact that I don’t have to deal with commuting and rigid work hours allows me to fit work and life in a way that works for the family and S8.

On top of that, this year our house was being built which also required quite a bit of attention and balancing all that on top of work and family life would have been impossible. I’m so appreciative of the structure and support S8 provides, and can’t think of a better place to work! (Special mention for the team trips too!!)

The flexibility of not having to commute and starting work on my own schedule has been a game-changer for my productivity and creativity. The generous holiday allowance still amazes me—it provides the freedom to truly reset, especially around Christmas, and spend quality time with friends and family. And of course, the team trips are always a highlight I eagerly look forward to each year.

Live a life!

Work-wise, I’m focused on continuing to deliver high-quality designs and results for our clients while elevating our branding offerings to the next level. On a personal level, I’ve recently been on a health kick, pushing myself in the gym, and I’m determined to keep that up. I also want to travel more and, excitingly, I’m starting to learn Spanish in the new year—so who knows, maybe this time next year we could do this interview in Spanish!

Loads! I want to buy a house or apartment, keep up my cycling training, ride out the crypto bull market, and most importantly—make it to 2026!

At some point I hope to finish refurbishing my bathroom—a proper shower would be nice after 18 months.