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Open to Permanent
Open to Permanent

Ellen Woodward

Creative Director
Portfolio website
About

I'm a decisive and highly organised Creative Director with a strong background in branding, marketing, print, and digital. I have expertise in web design, from concepts and sitemaps to front-end creative and analytics. My experience spans both print collateral and digital platforms. As a Brand Guardian, I ensure seamless brand architecture, implementation, and rollout while maintaining consistency across all platforms. I’m a hands-on, proactive manager, specialising in digital, editorial, packaging, POS, exhibitions, websites, branding, social media, and photography. My project management skills include scheduling, forecasting, strategy, budgeting, and data analysis. With excellent communication and presentation skills, I thrive in team leadership, creative concepts, digital design, print buying, database management, and creative writing—whether journalistic or advertorial. I bring creativity, structure, and strategic thinking to every project.

Previous Brands
PMS International
QS Quacquarelli Symonds
Mercury Holidays
The 44 Group
Trailfinders
ACCO Brands
Kent County Council
Dorling Kindersley
Work Experience
Head of Creative
May ‘25 -
PMS International

Head of Design (MatCov)
May ‘24 - May ‘25
QS Quacquarelli Symonds

Creative Lead
Dec ‘23 - May ‘24
Mercury Holidays

Creative Director
Apr ‘23 - Nov ‘23
The 44 Group

 Brand Guardian  Creative direction for start-up brands  Creative concepts for product launches  Corporate Branding – Brand Guides and pres decks  Creative writing  Product packaging  Digital advertising  Website creative & creation, construction and backend (coding) liaison  Brand ethos and brand guidelines  Social media pillars, calendar, concepts and strategy  Supplier liaison  Client liaison  Board meetings & presentations  Brand operations director – facilitating all aspects of the brand  Reporting – brand/company creative marketing status on a weekly basis with data analysis and forecasting  Budget management for spend on all brands  Team management – writing job descriptions, recruiting, line management  Client database management and analysis/reporting  Photoshoots – art direction, concept, styling, organisation  Data/Analytics  Customer communications – e-shots, newsletters, WhatApp broadcasts, insta engagements, socials  Packaging & POS

Head of Creative
Feb ‘08 - Apr ‘23
Trailfinders

• Trailfinders Brand Guardian - writing, implementing & upholding • Reformatting & redesigning with a new concept the Trailfinder Magazine – one of the largest print runs per issue in the UK (1.1m) • Brand logo update and implementation role-out • Created ‘TF Images’ – an inhouse database of 95,000+ TF images creative resources • Print buyer with an annual budget of approx £4m • Weekly Print Advertising – 50+ adverts a week (national & regional) • Digital advertising • Social media graphics & creative concepts for our online & digital presence • Logo design for all company sub-brands & NPD, and vector map creation • Exhibition concepts and graphics • Presentation of creative concepts of all design projects to the Board • Responsible for organisation & art direction of all company photo shoots • Line management of design department staff – both permanent & freelance • Wrote the Sustainable & Responsible Mailing Guide • Conception and guardian for TF Environmental Printing Policy • Proposal presentation and effective communication with the Board • Responsible for the artwork archive & database • Creative input in NPD - graphic concepts • Day-to-day management of the Studio

European Design Manager
Jan ‘00 - Feb ‘08
ACCO Brands

• Pan-European Brand marketing campaign creative concepts • Packaging concepts and creative – liaising with Packaging Technologists • Marketing collateral & web concepts for pan-European brands in 11 multilingual formats • Project-managing creative agencies • ACCO Brand Guidelines, ensuring adherence & European implementation • Oversaw the Rexel rebrand project 2008 end-user roll out • Strategic planning and budgeting for the Brand • Print buying for all company pan-European collateral • Art direction, styling & co-ordination of photo shoots • Maintaining an efficient scheduling system ensuring design & production, assuring cost effective project delivery • Day-to-day management of the Studio • Creative input in NPD and supplying concept scamps as required • Creative communication support for European markets, understanding & adapting to how each has unique marketing needs • Archiving and data-basing all European design projects

Senior Designer - County Print & Design
Oct ‘98 - Jan ‘00
Kent County Council

• Producing creative collateral to support Kent County Council activities • Building and maintaining a portfolio of KCC clients • Art direction of photographers and illustrators • Pre-pressing for the in-house printing team

Art Editor
Jun ‘91 - Oct ‘98
Dorling Kindersley

The Top Ten of Everything | Ultimate Organising Hints & Tips | Essential Managers Guides | The Complete Book of Sewing | Adolescence – Survival Guide for Parents & Teenagers | Home Medical Encyclopaedia | Family Doctor Home Adviser | Visual Dictionary of Dinosaurs | Visual Dictionary of the Universe • Organising & running design teams on a day-to-day basis • Design concepts from original briefs to be tested at international industry fairs • Implementing style guides – originating & overseeing page layouts • Maintaining artistic and style consistency throughout a project to final publication • Commissioning and managing agencies • Art direction of weekly photo shoot planning & management

Languages
English - Native
Recommendations
Maiana Chamusca
Worked in the same group - Marketing Operational Manager, QS Top Universities
May 2024 -

Ellen's leadership and communication skills are truly exceptional. She elevated our brand and processes through her extensive knowledge and thoughtful approach. Her ability to inspire and manage people is remarkable, and her commitment to supporting projects is unwavering. Her strong background in branding and recent success in leading our UX/UI team make her an invaluable asset. I highly recommend her to any company seeking a talented and dedicated professional.

London, UK