With 18 years of experience as a digital designer, I’ve worked both in agencies and directly with brands, delivering user-centric designs across a wide range of digital channels.
My journey in design
After studying Communications and New Media at the University of Leeds, I spent over five years working as a designer for marketing agencies in Leeds. I then transitioned to freelancing, where I’ve had the opportunity to work directly with brands and support agencies with a variety of digital design needs.
My approach to design
I believe that good design should be simple, clean, visually appealing, and always centred around the user’s needs. To complement my experience in UI design, in 2024 I began studying for a Professional Diploma in UX Design with the UX Design Institute. This course has given me in-depth knowledge of UX principles and processes, which I’m excited to complete later this year.
Email design expertise
I have extensive experience in creating responsive, accessible, and engaging emails that render optimally across different email clients. Email design comes with its own unique challenges—such as email-safe fonts, dark mode compatibility, and the quirks of various email clients (yes, Outlook, I’m talking about you). My deep understanding of the technical limits and possibilities allows me to collaborate smoothly with developers. I’m a strong advocate of a progressive enhancement approach, prioritising live text and using CSS for design elements where possible, rather than relying on image-based solutions, which come with several drawbacks.
What my clients say:
“Working with Ellie on our website has enabled our business to take a leap forward in aesthetics and user experience. Ellie demonstrated a genuine interest in understanding the brand and customer needs, resulting in a site design for which we have received countless compliments and seen improved performance outcomes.
We would not hesitate to recommend Ellie to anyone looking to create a professional, user-focused, and visually appealing website.”
– Joe Kibirige, JT Atkinson eCommerce Manager
“Ellie has designed our emails for the last 12 years and we have a great working relationship. No email brief is too difficult, and every design produced is to a very high standard. Working across two of our brands and various products each with different guidelines, Ellie has seamlessly adapted to each different brand identity encapsulating each brand perfectly across our email communications.”
– Georgina Shaw, Beaverbrooks CRM Manager
“Ellie is a pleasure to work with and always turns around high-quality work quickly.”
– Charlotte Cantillon, Pets at Home CRM Manager