Hi, I’m John. I design websites, brands and most things in between.

I’m a senior graphic and web designer, and I’ve spent 14 years in agencies and in-house teams working on websites, brand identities, print, packaging and motion. These days I work directly with businesses big and small, with pricing to suit every budget.

John Bell, in glasses and a tan cap — **John Bell**Graphic & web designer

Based: Birmingham, UK
Experience: 14 years, agency + in-house
Now: Freelance designer and developer
Works with: Small businesses, any budget

The story so far

How I ended up here.

01 · Uni
It started at Nottingham Trent.

I studied Graphic Design and left with First Class Honours, then got my first job at a design agency and learned the trade there.
02 · Agency
Then agency life.

I ran jobs from the first brief to the final files and dealt with clients directly. Over the years that covered reports and films for a law firm, 5G explainers, a product launch, charity reports and a lot of property marketing.
03 · In-house
Then an in-house brand team.

Next I joined a fast-paced in-house team looking after a group of FMCG brands, working on everything from branding and packaging to online shops, print and campaigns.
04 · Now
Now I’m freelance.

After 14 years in agencies and in-house teams, I went freelance. The standards haven’t changed. What’s different is that whether it’s a website, a brand or a brochure, you’re talking to the person actually doing the work.

What I do

What I’m good at.

Brand identity

Logos, colours and fonts that hold up wherever they end up, from a business card to a shop sign.

Logos
Brand kits
Brand guides

Websites

Designed and built from scratch, from one-page sites to small online shops.

HTML/CSS/JS
GSAP
Next.js
Dev handoff

Print + packaging

Brochures, reports, site boards, shop displays and packaging. The things people actually pick up and hold.

InDesign
Illustrator
Photoshop

Motion

Short explainer films, plus the small animations that make a website feel alive.

Explainers
After Effects
UI motion

Google + speed

Modern, engaging sites that look great and work hard.

Metadata
Schema
Accessibility
Page speed

How I work

How I like to work.

Much the same way I did in agencies and in-house teams, minus the layers of people in between.

Just me, start to finish
You deal with me from the first chat through to launch day, so nothing gets lost in translation. If a project needs an extra designer, I can bring one in and manage it for you.
Any size of budget
It might be a one-page site for a sole trader or a full brand with a small shop. On bigger stores I design every page and your developer builds it. Tell me what you’ve got to spend and I’ll tell you what’s possible.
Done properly
Clear briefs, proper proofs and careful testing, on the small jobs as much as the big ones.
Easy to find on Google
Quick pages that anyone can use, with the technical setup done properly so Google takes your site seriously.