From 2 to 12. Building an award-winning team
Growing a team takes time, a sense of culture and a clear vision.
When I joined TotallyMoney, I took on the challenge of building a new, high-performing Creative department. At that time, there were two digital designers in-house, and there were no structured creative processes in place. My mission was to build this function from scratch – to establish a team that would drive brand and marketing campaigns, aligning creative work closely with business goals. During my tenure at TotallyMoney, I’ve grown that modest setup to an award-winning team of over 12 multi-disciplinary specialists, recognised as the In-House Team of the Year for our work.
Laying the groundwork: Embedding creative values and defining processes
Establishing core creative values and ways of working that aligned with TotallyMoney’s mission is where I started. From the outset, I aimed for the Creative team to contribute meaningfully to the company’s brand identity, going beyond mere output. This meant defining guiding principles around creativity, innovation, and quality—standards that have since become the benchmark for every project, big or small.
I also developed robust processes to bring structure to the team’s operations. These frameworks balanced creativity with efficiency, ensuring we could deliver high-quality campaigns in a timely manner. By embedding these processes early on, we laid a strong foundation, so as the team grew, everyone understood not just how we worked but why we worked that way. A clear project management approach streamlined workflows, clarified roles, and set realistic timelines, helping us deliver cohesive, high-impact campaigns consistently.
Building beyond hierarchies
Building a high-functioning creative team is a skill in itself and requires more than just hiring talent; it involves cultivating the right routines, fostering an internal culture, and setting a vision that the entire team can rally behind. Scaling the team took time and required a strategic approach to hiring. I sought not only specialists—graphic designers, content strategists, UX/UI experts, and motion graphics artists—but individuals who embodied our values and were eager to collaborate. This intentional approach created a cross-functional team capable of tackling various creative needs in-house.
One common pitfall I’ve seen others encounter is focusing too much on hierarchy, often assuming a fixed ratio of senior to junior staff. In our case, success came from developing talent in-house and promoting from within. Many of our senior creatives began in junior roles and progressed into leadership organically, understanding our direction deeply and contributing actively to our culture. This approach created a cohesive, adaptable team with a shared sense of purpose.
No one person has all the answers, and diversity fuels the innovation that keeps our work fresh and relevant.
The role of diversity
Diversity has been a cornerstone of our team’s success. Bringing together different perspectives—whether through varied skills, backgrounds, or experiences—has ensured we approach challenges from unique angles. No one person has all the answers, and diversity fuels the innovation that keeps our work fresh and relevant. This variety of viewpoints helps us connect with a broader audience and tackle creative problems more effectively, producing campaigns that resonate widely.
Selecting the right creative talent and building motivation
In hiring, I look for team members who are exceptional at what they do, sometimes even better than I am in specific areas. My role as a creative leader isn’t to dictate every step but to facilitate growth, support, and connect the strengths within the team. I seek out people who challenge the status quo and are unafraid to bring new ideas forward—qualities essential to our growth and continuous improvement. The right talent not only pushes our function forward but also promotes a team dynamic where people hold each other accountable and work together toward shared goals.
Ensuring consistency in creative direction
Maintaining consistency across multiple projects and channels is a challenge in any field, especially in fintech. Our approach relies on a blend of clear vision and adaptable frameworks. Brand playbooks and evolving guidelines serve as our “north star,” but we also allow for flexibility to keep up with creative trends. While I stay involved in projects where possible to set a standard, our creative direction isn’t solely my own—it’s shaped collaboratively with input from the team. This collective ownership fosters accountability and consistency, as team members uphold high standards and ensure alignment across the board.
Recognition and the path forward
Our recent award as In-House Team of the Year is a testament to the dedication, strategy, and hard work that have gone into building a creative function that consistently drives value for TotallyMoney. The journey has underscored the importance of intentionality, vision, and collaboration. Looking ahead, the future holds exciting challenges as we continue to explore new ways to elevate the TotallyMoney brand.
ClientTotallyMoneyServicesLeadership
Creating a brand personality and flexing it across the business
Creating a brand is about building a personality that draws customers in and keeps them coming back. A brand is more than just a logo, and that’s what I aimed to create with TotallyMoney.
From expanding the colour palette to directing the motion in animations, everything had to authentically represent the company’s core beliefs. When customers align with a brand’s personality and values, they’re more likely to return, advocate for it, and build a lasting connection. While robust brand guidelines are essential, creating an environment that allowed my team to flourish and explore their creativity was equally important in scaling the brand to new heights.
From expanding the colour palette to directing the motion in animations, everything had to authentically represent the company’s core beliefs. When customers align with a brand’s personality and values, they’re more likely to return, advocate for it, and build a lasting connection. While robust brand guidelines are essential, creating an environment that allowed my team to flourish and explore their creativity was equally important in scaling the brand to new heights.
ClientTotallyMoneyServicesBranding, Digital
The debit card turning heads: Launching a new product
I led the creative efforts to launch the TotallyMoney Debit Card, a first of its kind product designed to empower customers with lower credit scores. Our mission was clear: leverage everyday spending to help users build their creditworthiness and improve their financial standing.
As a one-of-a-kind concept, we faced unique challenges in bringing this product to market. We delved deep into understanding the pain points associated with existing credit-building products and identified how we could effectively position a debit card for everyday use. The solution was to offer a simple, yet powerful tool that seamlessly integrated into our customers’ daily lives, while distinctly standing out in a crowded market.
I led the creation of the brand styling for the TotallyMoney Debit Card, ensuring that every touchpoint—from the card design to the print packaging, web experience, and marketing materials—reflected the essence of TotallyMoney while establishing its unique identity. The visual design was crafted to resonate with our target audience, combining familiarity with the TotallyMoney brand and a distinctiveness that set it apart from hundreds of other card products.
Our approach was heavily customer-centric. We conducted extensive customer research and hosted user interviews to gather valuable insights. Collaborating closely with Product, Commercial, and other functions, we developed a comprehensive marketing campaign that effectively communicated the benefits and unique features of the TotallyMoney Debit Card.
The results were remarkable. Our campaign not only resonated with our audience but also led to over 10,000 sign-ups, marking a significant milestone for TotallyMoney.
Through strategic branding, customer-focused research, and cross-functional collaboration, the TotallyMoney Debit Card has become a pivotal tool in helping customers take control of their financial futures.
ClientTotallyMoneyServicesBranding, Campaigns
You’ll Totally Get There: Creating a brand-led TV campaign
TotallyMoney’s mission is to help consumers navigate the challenges of the cost of living crisis, providing support in a time when so many across the country are feeling financially squeezed.
With this in mind, we set out to create a campaign that would be both inspiring and impactful, bringing our message of hope and progress directly to people’s screens. To do this, I led the in-house creative efforts alongside creative agency St. Luke’s and animation studio Lobo to develop the 30-second film, You’ll Totally Get There.
Watch the film
TV campaigns are essential in building a brand’s identity and reaching a broad audience quickly. They allow us to share our message in a format that’s not only highly visible but also emotional and memorable. A TV spot provides the kind of wide-reaching impact that digital alone can’t always achieve, helping us connect with viewers in their living rooms and communicate the brand’s purpose in a powerful way.
Developing this campaign was a lengthy yet rewarding process. The idea began with the simple concept of “climbing higher,” symbolising the steps people take to improve their financial well-being.
Translating that into a visually compelling story required creativity, especially with the technical challenge of animating scenes without using characters. This approach allowed us to focus on the journey itself, making the idea relatable to everyone watching.
Our goal was to craft a strategy that not only captured the heart of the TotallyMoney brand but also resonated with our audience and gave them a sense of hope and aspiration. Working with multiple teams across our partner agencies, we collaborated to build every piece of this vision. Internally, I created a design and communications platform to guide my team, ensuring that our work remained consistent and on-brand as we moved forward.
The result was a campaign that opened up an exciting new direction for TotallyMoney. It allowed us to explore what the brand could be, reaching people in an authentic and uplifting way. More than just a marketing piece, this campaign took us further in our mission to help people reach their financial goals—to “totally get there.”
ClientTotallyMoneyServicesBranding, Campaigns
Lights, Camera, Action: Using video to tell the story
To brand our annual flagship event, we turned to video. Video content stands out as a powerful way to connect and engage. It’s more than just moving images; it’s a storytelling tool that brings messages to life, evokes emotion, and captures attention. We were sharing our brand story, showcasing the product and our customers. Video helped us deliver our message in a memorable and impactful way and enable us to promote the content after the event, in newsletter and social media.
I led the production of these videos, from working with a production agency to our commercial partners on content, as well as developing the branding and visuals.
ClientTotallyMoneyServicesVideo, Events
From fixing leaks to delivering treats
Airtasker is the go-to platform for any task done. Post a job and a Tasker will handle it for you.
When we launched Airtasker in the UK, we needed a campaign that showed off just how easy the platform is to use and give people a reason to start posting their to-do lists. Cue Valentine’s Day and the launch of the Airlove campaign: a mission to spread a little love, or at least some free chocolate.
Roses are red, Airtasker is blue,
we love free chocolate, bet you do too.
Whether you wanted to surprise a loved one or treat yourself all you had to do was post on Airtasker with a line about why you deserved an Airlove delivery.
The response was huge. Within a day, we saw a flood of sign-ups, social media blew up with posts about the campaign, and we even grabbed some solid news coverage.
Creating a consistent branded experience was key to this campaign. From custom illustrations, printed goodies, and smooth web interactions all wrapped up in that signature Airtasker style.
Who says you can’t order a little love online?
ClientAirtaskerServicesBranding, Campaigns
