Robert Dutton Email & Phone Number

Leeds, West Yorkshire

Art constantly evolves and so does my business.Working for myself as a professional artist I’m now, after all these years doing what I should have done YEARS AGO - creatively painting for a receptive and ready market and being MY OWN boss. No more office politics, dictates and hidden agendas - how refreshing that is!Now fully active in all aspects of the fine art business and as a professional award winning artist, I organise top class creative art tuition to adults in full day creative workshops, part-time day courses, residential art breaks and short painting breaks regionally and nationally using a variety of painting media. One to one tuition and small group courses are also organised on a regular basis to include group talks, demonstrations and outdoor painting days with fantastic results all round fro everyone!Subjects covered vary from landscapes and seascapes to cityscapes, all within a contemporary, impressionistic and expressive viewpoint which feature regularly in ‘The Artist’ magazine (national recognised in the fine art field and beyond), for whom I write many illustrated articles on a regular basis.I work with many fine art suppliers such as Pro Arte Brushes (UK) and Canson Paper Mill (France), both companies recognised for their excellent products within the fine art industry. Demonstrating their products at leading national events such as ‘Art Materials Live’ at Birmingham NEC and in many other ways too is an absolute delight for products I totally endorse.With a national network of galleries selling a continual range of my award winning paintings also keeps me busy...very busy! The business is growing from strength to strength as I continue to put the hours in working at my painting, paperwork and promotions!As Mike Bloomberg said “The Harder You Work the Luckier You Get.” So, lucky me!For more information visit www.rdcreative.co.uk

Leeds

Valued member of the Northern regional team of designers producing professional high quality documents and designs. Working directly with many clients to include Partners, Directors and senior personnel within the firm to ensure proposals, national and international reports and other on line and printed ephemera reach a constant high standard of excellence and project a continual professional corporate image. Following PwC brand guidelines and working continually to pressured deadlines, on a wide range of internal and external proposals to ensure such quality designs have maximum effect in the marketplace and at client presentations. Liaison direct with printers and suppliers on a regular basis to ensure such documents reach the highest standard of excellence and which ensure value for money for all departments and clients is achieved throughout the process.Daily achievementsDirect contact with clients utilising inter personal skills at client meetings and throughout the design process to think clearly and to offer design solutions and to act decisively to put clients at their ease.A high standard of professionalism and a major contributor to the development of the Design Services department, through reputation for excellence for the high standard of designs produced on a regular basis.Bronze award for high standards of excellence and customer liaison from the Infrastructure and Procurement department at PwC.

The overlap.Throughout my career as a graphic designer being 'just a designer' was never ever going to be enough. I trained as an illustrator and as a fine artist and in the techy world of design these traditional skills are really not 'required.' As a consequence I ran my own business in any spare time and had many, many successes with it. 'Stings to bow' as you might say and boy am I plucking them now!Things change and so do internal firms policies. The demands placed on MITIE Business Services Design services (for whom I worked for 7 years whilst at PwC) by their client gave me the ideal opportunity to opt for voluntary redundancy in September '13. I've never looked back.My stings on my bow are being added to all the time and the fine art tune I play is now VERY MUCH to my liking and to the liking of others - especially my students, my galleries, my clients, my partners and...my soul!http://thecreativeprogress.blogspot.co.uk/

Leeds

Seeing new technology on the horizon (Adobe Creative Suite) which was due to change the way designers professionally created visual communication in the future, I took the plunge and learnt the software inside out during an intense 3 month period on a one to one basis with 'Training 26' in Leeds. With a portfolio of knowledge with 'InDesign', 'Adobe Photoshop' and 'Illustrator' (amongst other very usful acquired software skills), 'Quark Express' was pushed into the bottom drawer and this new, exciting, powerful and advanced creative suite, changed the way I designed...for the better... forever!Following this intense three month course, I secured a job as a valued member of the PwC design Services team with PwC in their Leeds office. With immediate effect I created exciting new Corporate Designs for many departments within this proactive financial firm helping many clients win new blue chip clients with my creative designs and proposal documents.

Wakefield

Member of the 'Communications and Design team' supporting the work of the Public Affairs Directorate and other departments throughout the South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust. Producing professional high quality printed ephemera and publications and display materials, following NHS Identity standards and Trusts corporate branding to include in-house publications, magazines and external advertisements, which support the Trust in delivering a national corporate agenda and enables a professional identity to be maintained and projected. Working constantly to a variety of deadlines for a wide range of internal and external health organisations (to include Primary Care Trusts in West Yorkshire), I helped to fulfil their design requirements with documents such as reports and accounts, promotional brochures and so on. Liaison with printers and print suppliers whilst utilising limited budgets was common place and the negotiation for the best print prices and print production a regular occurrence.AchievementsDaily achievements to a high level of professionalism within all working environments as a valued representative of the Communications Department.Major contributor and designer of a ‘new’ corporate identity for South West Yorkshire Mental Health Trust as required by Public Affairs Directorate.Conclusion.I met many great proactive people in the NHS - mainly outside my own department.

Harrogate, United Kingdom

Freelance Graphic Designer, Fine Art Consultant, Professional Artist, Art Tutor, Exhibition Organiser and Principal Artist in residence with private commercial gallery - Original Arts (Harrogate) Ltd.Working for ‘Words and Pictures’ design studio in Leeds, employed on a retainer 3 days per week. By utilising my design skills to create a variety of brochures, magazines and prospectus for schools and colleges and lifestyle magazines for private sector and financial clientele, I helped expand the client database for this business. Running a parallel fine art business working for a commercial gallery - 'Original Arts (Harrogate Ltd)', employed as Exhibition Organiser and Principal Art Tutor at the gallery, I was responsible for creating and implementing business development strategies, creating eye catching advertising and exhibition promotional design, print buying, advertisement purchase and writing promotional articles for the gallery to increase the gallery's clientele and ensure the business had an increased commercial revenue. I also helped to develop a successful programme of adult education classes with the Director of the business, by organising other artists to teach at the gallery by invitation. Tutoring myself at the gallery in several popular and full classes helped increase the turnover at the gallery further and this became another important revenue stream for the business.AchievementsIncreased profit for 'Words and Pictures' Increased revenue for Original Arts (Harrogate Ltd) through greater public awareness of the gallery's activities with increased profits form commercial contemporary fine art salesA regular and increased clientele for both the commercial fine art sales and art classes.

Leeds

Committed team member working within a busy innovative creative department to constantly tight deadlines for a wide range of clients. Assisting in business development of the company by winning many ‘blue chip’ accounts on a regular basis on pitch.Regular direct client liaison, presenting own design ideas at board level for customer requirements with given budgets for maximum effect. Working closely with account handling team in the preparation and presentation of documents for tender and with the multimedia department in creating exciting presentations and web site design for a number of clients.AchievementsDaily achievements of a high level of effective design in its creativity, essential in the competitive marketplace of design and advertising.

Huddersfield

Working within the in-house communications design department for the world’s leading international financial business advisory service, to further develop the company’s international profile with cutting edge design. Well respected employee, demonstrating multi-disciplinary skills including traditional design, illustration, artwork and apple macintosh skills applicable to a wide range of designs and POS marketing and exhibition hardware systems. ­Commitment to the company, self discipline, a flexible work approach and excellent communication skills, developed client confidence for a wide range of national and international offices and other financial clients outside the company. AchievementsConstant high standards of excellence, which increased profitability to the department.Involvement in national and international campaigns for audio visual, exhibition design, conference literature, proposal documents, report and accounts - constantly won on pitch.

Leeds And Manchester

Leeds and Manchester studios 1984 – 1990 with fixed term contract with Wigan Council between (as detailed) and a 1 year full time course at Jacob Kramer College in Leeds completed in 1988.A total of four year professional experience and business development as a freelance designer working for inner city design studios/agencies in Leeds and Manchester with one year fixed term contract for Wigan Council followed by a 1 year Post diploma in Advertising gained from Jacob Kramer College in Leeds in 1988 immediately after. Core skills gained from the Post diploma from Jacob Kramer College course specialising in Advertising, helped further expand my creative freelance professional opportunities soon after. Working with a wide range of design studios I was responsibile for designs and involved with designing advertising campaigns from concept to completion for their local and national blue chip clients. Direct liaison with suppliers, printers, repro companies, photographers, freelance designers and illustrators throughout the creative process. Continual development and design implementation of typographic and hand lettering skills, photographic art direction, traditional illustration, layout and artwork skills.

Wigan, United Kingdom

Passionate for conservation and all things wildlife, I jumped at the chance earlier in my career to work for Wigan Council and be responsible for a small team of graphic designers (work experience for many), and share my skills and experiences with them to help advance their careers, whilst using my practical creative knowledgeable skills for a really good cause. The position was created by the ‘Manpower Commission’ at the time and our main role as a department was to liaise with staff from both the Leisure Services and Technical Services Departments of the council.Printed educational wildlife documents and educational material for schools and colleges were also created for wardens and wildlife centres throughout the region to strict deadlines and budget controls, to include permanent information exhibitions for the wildlife centres with accurate drawings, photographs and text being combined creatively in eye catching informative displays.This was a fantastic rewarding job and a remarkable opportunity to bring together my passions for wildlife conservation with a wide range of core design skills on a fixed term contract.Sadly the job was only for one year but it was a year packed with positive lasting experiences for all and most importantly, helped increase the public’s awareness for the wildlife within their area, with a great deal of self pride for the natural world on their doorstep being created in the local community as a result of all our combined efforts.Soon after leaving this position I returned to education to complete a one year full time Post Diploma course in Advertising at Jacob Kramer College in Leeds, completing the course in 1987 and gaining new core creative skills to expand further my professional creative opportunities.

Post Diploma In Advertising, Graphic Design And Advertising, Highly Commended

Post Diploma in Advertising

Ba (Hons), Graphic Design And Illustration

Activities and Societies: Running, KarateGraphic design, illustration, print making, book making, advertising and image making in so many.

3 'A' Levels 'A+' For Art, Fine Art, English Literature, Art History, History

Education record