Senior Brand and UX Designer
Co-founder and Senior Designer at Hay & Rice, 2017–2022. Brand identity, web design, UX, SEO, creative direction, and account management across 70+ projects.
Between 2017 and 2022 I co-founded and ran a creative agency in Cambridge, working as a senior designer and creative director across brand identity, UX, web design, SEO, print, and ongoing consultancy. Over five years we delivered more than 70 projects, running around 30 concurrently at peak. I left to take an in-house role at Redgate Software, where I wanted to go deeper on a single brand at scale.
The client base was broad: biomedical and technology companies, legal firms, insurers, PR firms, business parks, chambers of commerce, parish councils, restaurants, cafes, and musicians. Much of it was long-term relationship work rather than one-off jobs, which meant understanding clients’ businesses properly and designing systems that could grow with them.
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Creative direction and client work
Running an agency meant owning the full process from first conversation to final delivery. That included writing briefs, shaping strategy, presenting to clients, managing feedback, and making sure the work actually landed rather than just looking good. A meaningful part of the role was helping clients who weren’t sure what they needed work out what they actually wanted, and then delivering it.
I worked closely with a developer co-founder throughout, which gave the agency a genuinely technical edge. Projects were built with modularity and maintainability in mind from the start, with clean handoffs, component-based thinking, and an awareness of how design decisions affect build complexity. That kind of close designer-developer relationship is something I have carried into every role since.
Brand, Web, SEO, and long-term Consultancy.
Managing projects from concept to optimisation.
End-to-end
The agency’s real strength was providing end-to-end support rather than handing over a finished asset and stepping away. For most clients that meant brand identity and web design as a starting point, followed by ongoing consultancy, performance monitoring, SEO, and iterative improvement over time. Several clients stayed with the agency throughout the full five years, and that sustained relationship work builds a different kind of understanding than project work alone.
Post-launch support
Web design was always built with discoverability in mind. For a number of clients the SEO work became as important as the visual work itself, with a focus on proper site architecture, authentic content, and sustainable organic growth. The results were measurable and in some cases significant, with direct commercial impact for the businesses involved.
Subcontract & agency work
Alongside direct client work, a significant portion of output came through a subcontracting arrangement with a larger agency, delivering brand and web design for their client base. That included e-commerce websites for international clients across the cycling industry, as well as projects in legal, enterprise, and other sectors. Much of this work is covered by NDA and cannot be shown publicly, but it represented some of the most technically complex and commercially significant projects from this period.
Key projects at Hay & Rice
A selection of projects from my time at Hay & Rice. These represent some of the most substantial work from that period, though don’t include the significant volume delivered under NDA.
Bourn Council
A new community website celebrating village life and local history.
West London Chambers of Commerce
Long-term UX and web design partnership with a growing chamber.
Richardson Tree Surgery
SEO and brand work that helped a local business thrive.
Rural Coffee Project
Brand identity, website, and print work for a rural coffee community.
Home-Start UK
Volunteered print design work for a national family support charity.
The Stove
Brand, website, and print for a new independent food business.
Feedback from my time at Hay & Rice
Alex Hay, Co-founder & Lead Developer, Hay & Rice
“I’ve worked with Daniel on many projects over the last few years, usually as a Developer. He consistently provides consistent and thought-through designs, and seeks feedback from developers during the design process to ensure his proposals are feasible.”
Laura Penny, 618 Insight
“We engaged following a recommendation of a friendly, collaborative, and professional approach. Dan got the brief spot on for brand identity, brand guidelines, and logo creation and worked with us in a staged process which made it easy for everyone to agree on a preferred design. The website design process was creative and collaborative. Thanks again and hope to continue working with you!”
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Let’s get started
I work comfortably across permanent hybrid roles, contract engagements, and retained freelance collaborations.
I’m used to shaping briefs, working closely with developers and marketing teams, and taking ownership of platforms beyond launch. If you’re refining something already in motion, or building something new, let’s start with a conversation.
