Graeme and his wife, Jane, set up Swim on the Wild Side Ltd to offer open water swimming tours of the Lake District and beyond. The difference between what they offer and others, are the tours they operate are fully insured, risk assessed, coached and bespoke. With Graeme holding his STA Level 2 Award for Open Water Swimming Coaching, STA Level 1 Award for Pool to Open Water Swimming Coaching, STA Level 2 Award in Swimming Teaching and RLSS Level 3 National Water Safety Management Programme they are able to offer a service like no other.

Graeme was brought into help with the tuition of website design and development for both undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. These required both the understanding that the individual's concerned were either complete novices or they had a degree behind them already.

Graeme set up Sutton Design in 1996 with a mission is to enable small, medium and large businesses create effective marketing scenarios, whether it's through new branding or website design, to something more complex such as an on-line marketing strategy. Sutton Design's aim is to help their clients become leaders in their field of expertise by being an integral part of the brands overall marketing and design team.Sutton Design solve complex problems with highly creative solutions.Their client list includes national and international organisations such as:GlaxoSmithKline, Borealis AG, British Deaf Association, ECM, Enesco, Fox QS, Jordan Nuclear, Logic Systems, PGL Golf, Rural Regeneration Unit, Westlakes Scientific Consulting and the Welsh Assembly.To more regionally recognised ones:Allan Estate Agents, ASA NorthWest, Copeland Developments, Cubby Construction, Cumbria Biomass, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Damson Trust, English Teatime, Ennerdale Brewery, Glenmore Trust, Haydon Bridge, Jardine Finan, Lakeland Care Group, Oaklea Trust, Penrith Partnership, Scottish Masters Swimming, Senhouse Roman Museum, Tarn Road Nurseries, Thwaite Holmes and West Cumbria Development Agency.Being based in Cumbria, they also have several clients within the tourism sector:Bank Mill Visitor Centre, Bower House Inn, Cumbria Tourist Guides, Dancing Beck, Discover Lakeland, Forest Field, Fox & Pheasant Inn, Linskeldfield Holiday Cottages, Loch Melford Hotel (Oban, Scotland), Maes-Y-Neuadd Hotel (Gwynedd, Wales), Rothay Garden Hotel and Uniquely Coniston, Cumbria & Ullswater.

Several of Graeme's clients were looking for unusual marketing strategies such as bottles of wine for the staff at Christmas time. Celebration Gifts was created to fulfil one order for the Christmas of 2002 and from there large and small businesses have had personalised wine supplied over the years.Clients include Active Business Communications, BBC, Coca-Cola, Culex, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Dartford FC, EQ Accountants, GlaxoSmithKline, Huntsman, Intelligent Comfort Group, ICM, Initial Medical, London Irish, Perkin Elmer, Poyry, Rural Regeneration Unit, Sussex Newspapers, Synergy, TVI Design and University of East Anglia.

Graeme set up this partnership with Gordon Stewart to tender for several projects, which were out with that of their respective businesses. The success with Cumbria CVS, Cumbria CEN and Cumbria Credits led to further projects outside the county. The termination of the partnership was by mutual consent, with Gordon finally moving down to Oxford.

The partnership of John Taylor and Graeme was to tender for projects beneficial to both parties. While they operated as an internet service provider (ISP) their main aim was that of large design projects such as South Lakeland District Council's website. While they were successful it was decided by Graeme that this was to the detriment of Sutton Design's clients.

During his twelve years of employment at Mackay Design the duties of Graeme's post included the setting up of several brand developments, management within a small team of designers, generating new business with both current and potential clients, traveling throughout Europe generating new business and actually being stuck in Athens for a week after a meeting. Life was so hard back in the 90's.Mackay Design's client list was extensive and varied, many of whom were based abroad including European Commission DG XIII, Statoil, Dow Chemicals (Europe), Dow Plastics (Europe), MCI Europe, DuPont, Proctor & Gamble, Electrolux, Hepworth, University of Newcastle, Tyne & Wear Development Corporation, East Kilbride Development Corporation, BNFL, Nirex, G F Smith & Son and James Cropper PLC.Graeme made the decision to set up his own company in the mid 90's, while still in the employment of Mackay Design and with the full backing of the management. In April 1996 Sutton Design was formed and started to trade as a separate entity. Over the coming months the amount of work undertaken by Sutton Design started to have an adverse effect of both his ability as a designer and his work/life balance, especially with a young family. So in February 1998 he left Mackay Design to concentrate fully on Sutton Design, where he's been ever since.

Designer, layout artist, artworker, tea maker and dogs body! Managed major projects after only two years, graphic designer and became the senior designer. Great clients, great boss and great time. Worked with some fantastic photographers, briefings, direction, layouts etc - good learning ground. Broke his back drawing on a grant enlarger, worked with toxic pens, pasted up typography onto mounting boards with spray mount glue in the 80s - the kids of today don't know how easy they have it.Client list included Carrs Milling Industry plc, British Deaf Association, Spillars and Cowan Sheldon.The reason for leaving Typographic Design was simple, over a drink after work one evening Mackay Design offered him twice what Typographic Design were paying. It was the 80s after all!

Ah the memories of toxic fumes from both the photographic department and their small unventilated studio seem to have obscured those of the work produced in this period for Graeme. He joined Davis Design a couple of weeks after leaving Art School and was thrown straight into the deep end, designing adverts for a ladies boutique in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow. Understanding the pressures of the advertising industry in the 70's is something he will never forget and realise how easy (better) things are today.Clients included Caithness Glass, Scottish Highland Hotels and Collins Publishers.While Graeme loved his time at Davis Design, his fiancée (now wife of 35 years) had landed a very good job back in Carlisle, were they had first met while at Art School together. An opportunity to work with Roy Benzie at Typographic Design came about, which would get him out of the advertising industry and back into graphic design so he jumped at the chance.