James Golding, Author at Zap Creative Ltd

Client Services Manager / Account Manager needed

James Golding — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 07:22:22 +0000

This role is 100% office-based — no hybrid, no remote

Client Services Manager / Account Manager needed

We’re a design agency. We make things look good, work well, and keep clients smiling. Right now, we need a Client Services Manager / Account Manager — basically, someone who can keep all the plates spinning without breaking a sweat (or at least without showing it).

Here’s the deal: you’ll be the go-to person for our clients. You’ll get to know their businesses inside out, make sure their projects land on time, on budget, and looking brilliant. You’ll brief our creative team (in plain English, not riddles), keep everything moving, proof the final work so it’s typo-free, and occasionally work your magic on quotes and budgets.

This role is 100% office-based — no hybrid, no remote. We believe the best work happens when we’re together, bouncing ideas around and sharing biscuits.

Purpose:

To retain and grow Zap’s clients through proactive account management, and smooth efficient workflow.

Role and responsibilities:

Your primary responsibilities are client satisfaction and increasing sales. Organised, client-focused and an adaptable team player you’ll shape and deliver projects for our clients, bring them in on time and on budget, to the expected standard, and contribute to the overall growth of the agency.

Client relationship management:

Act as the main point of contact for clients in your portfolio, while building and maintaining strong relationships.
Understand each client’s business, objectives, and challenges in order to make informed recommendations.
Ensure there is regular, proactive communication with your clients.
Support the MD on new business pitches and relationship building as required.
Protect and represent the interests of your clients within the studio.

People & resource management:

Monitor studio progress and re-prioritise throughout the day as required.
Be the point of contact for freelance resource. Schedule and manage their time as required.
Manage, mentor and motivate your Client Services Assistant, providing support and regular feedback.
Contribute towards the career development needs of the team.

Project management:

Be the key point of contact between your clients and the studio, and ensure the whole process as smooth and easy as possible for them.
Take project requirements from the client and write internal briefs so requirements, including time allocations, are clearly communicated to the team.
Collaborate with the team to define the approach needed, what the campaign deliverables are and the timelines that need to be met.
Coordinate the delivery of campaigns and ensure that we meet all client objectives and deadlines.
Oversee the amends process, carrying out checks to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Ensure final deliverables have been through the studio QA process
Proof read all final deliverables.
Where required manage the print procurement and production process.
Review and report on the actual time spent versus the estimated time.
Produce reports as required.

Budget management:

Provide clients with accurate cost estimates and quotes for all deliverables, and keep them updated.
Contribute to forecasting client spend on a quarterly basis.
Review monthly client spend against forecast and propose actions to be taken.
Track project time and expenses, and maintain financial records.

About you

We’ve already said you’ll need to be organised, client-focused and an adaptable team player. In addition:

You’ll have at least two years of experience in an agency environment or a client facing role.
Have the ability to multitask and meet deadlines while handling multiple clients with changing priorities.
Be eagle eyed and have the ability to spot a typo at ten paces.
Be a clear and confident communicator – in writing and in person.
Comfortable chatting
Understand client profitability and be able to demonstrate commercial awareness.
Methodical and very organised. Pragmatic. Take control of projects under tight deadlines, manage expectations and handle pressure well.
A natural problem solver with a ‘can do’ attitude.
Excellent at communication and have strong organisational skills.
A team player.
An eye for detail and design would be a big advantage.

About us

Established in 2011, Zap are a small but perfectly formed creative studio based in Hythe, Southampton. Design led and independently owned, we’re a relaxed team who are passionate about what we do, working in an enjoyable and open environment. Our work is diverse, and we love it. We work with an eclectic range of clients, from plucky start ups and billion dollar global brands, and everything in between. It results in a beautifully combusted and varied mix of creative work, across a wide range of sectors.

About the opportunity

It’s an exciting time to join our well established and growing team. You’ll reap the benefits of their years of experience working with top names and learning from a fantastic team of designers. With plenty of variety, responsibility and new challenges, this is a role for someone wanting to step up and really raise their game.

– Private healthcare

– Eyecare and dental

– Training opportunities

– Excellent holiday inc Christmas to New Year shut down

– Staff outings

– New Forest location (the role is working from our office in Hythe, Southampton)

– Design for Good programme to support worthy causes

Apply now

To apply, please email your CV and portfolio to the address below, as well as some detail on what you feel you can offer. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to undertake a short development task.

iwanttowork@zapcreative.co.uk

More news

Do you know your brand archetypes?

James Golding — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 23:22:01 +0000

Do you know your brand archetypes?

By Matt Ockelford

All humans are unique, yet the renowned psychologist Carl Jung believed that irrespective of religion, culture, or language, everyone recognised and could relate to 12 specific archetypes at a subconscious level.

This notion becomes apparent when considering that most people know someone who’s the life and soul of the party (the Jester), or someone who possesses profound wisdom and offers invaluable advice (the Sage). Perhaps you’ve encountered a friend who effortlessly exudes love and constantly attracts others (the Lover).

We naturally gravitate towards brands and individuals that mirror our archetypes. By identifying your brand’s archetypes and aligning your brand as closely as possible with them, you can create a brand that resonates and endures with your target audience.

So, how many archetypes should your brand relate to?

It might be tempting to claim allegiance to all 12 archetypes to maximise appeal. However, this rarely proves effective and instead creates an identity crisis where your audience struggles to discern your brand’s identity or motives, resulting in a perception of insincerity or just flat out doesn’t get who you are or who you’re for.

Standing out in the crowd

We advocate the idea of relating to just two archetypes – a dominant archetype that speaks of your purpose, and a secondary archetype that speaks of your personality and helps your brand stand out amidst competitors.

The tissue paper company, Who Gives A Crap, is a great example of this. The market is saturated with companies promising eco-friendly rolls made of recyclable paper. To differentiates, Who Gives A Crap cleverly associates itself with the Jester archetype as well. This alignment infuses the brand with a sense of fun, excitement, and playfulness, distinguishing it from competitors and attracting its target audience. It also allows them to add a sense of fun and humour to their brand.

To the right audience, their product becomes a no-brainer choice, making it easy to choose them over any other competitor. The significance of getting your mix of archetypes right cannot be understated.

At Zap, we utilise brand archetypes as part of our brand strategy process to help you craft a brand identity that cuts through the noise in the most authentic and unique way possible.

The post Do you know your brand archetypes? appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

Responsive logo design

James Golding — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 22:19:12 +0000

Responsive Logo Design

By Matt Ockelford

The concept of a logo might seem straightforward—it’s your brand’s signature, its identifying mark.

Whether descriptive or cryptic, your logo is uniquely yours, serving as a vital component of your brand identity. Traditionally, logos were primarily featured in print—on billboards, business cards, and various marketing materials. However, the rapid advancement of the digital era has shifted what constitutes a successful logo.

In today’s digital landscape, websites play a crucial role in shaping first impressions. A website typically has about 15 seconds to capture the attention of its visitors. Within this brief window, it’s essential to communicate the essence of your business effectively, prioritising clarity and impact over less critical details.

Unfortunately, many logos lose their impact when scaled down for digital platforms. As they shrink, intricate details become hard to discern, diminishing the logo’s recognisability and effectiveness. This challenge led to the emergence of the “responsive logo”—a dynamic approach to logo design tailored for the digital realm.

A responsive logo consists of multiple variations, each designed for different digital contexts and screen sizes. This strategy is critical, considering logos may need to be as small as 16px x 16px, such as in website favicons or social media profile images where the logo must fit into a small circle whilst retaining its legibility.

These variations preserve the core elements of the logo while adapting seamlessly to various dimensions. Rather than merely stripping down elements, designers focus on what’s most essential to convey the brand’s tone and message, emphasising these aspects. This process ensures that your brand always presents itself optimally, regardless of size requirements, maintaining authenticity and consistency.

The iconic Nike ‘swoosh’ is a prime example of a responsive logo that maintains its identity even at the smallest sizes. Other brands like Coca-Cola, Disney, Heineken, and Guinness also exemplify identities that perform well across any device. For a firsthand look at responsive logos in action, visit https://responsivelogos.co.uk and resize your browser.

At ZAP, we adopt a “responsive-first” approach to logo design, ensuring that every brand identity we craft is equipped with responsive variations designed to meet the demands of the modern digital landscape.

The post Responsive logo design appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

Why we should embrace challenges and adversity

James Golding — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 23:35:56 +0000

Why we should embrace challenges and adversity

By James Golding

Sometimes the world can be a tough place to live and work.

Watching the London Marathon last month was inspirational, so many people putting them selves through a gruelling experience, pushing their bodies beyond the levels most people think they’re capable of. Many making it harder for themselves by wearing heavy fancy dress costumes too! But so many of them doing it in the name of a worthy cause – a bereavement, a charity, something that effects or supports a loved one who’s seriously unwell. It was a real celebration of triumph in the face of adversity.

It made me think – would these people be taking part if they hadn’t been the victim of their awful circumstances? Not suggesting for one minute that they’re better off for having suffered their horrible situation, whatever that may be. But it has likely spurred them on to achieve things they may not have previously believed possible. That was the bit that really interested me.

We’re extremely fortunate to have been able to recruit and grow our team over the last 12 months, but many businesses are struggling, many hard working and talented people are finding themselves out of work. But are some of these companies coming out the other side leaner, meaner, scarred but more experienced as a result? Are the accidental freelancers finding their feet and carving out a more flexible, lucrative living? Or has it forced them to try something new, and step out of the comfort zone?

There isn’t always a happy ending of course (and unfortunately), but I would wager a lot have people that have been forced in to change are better for it, in one way or another.

So how does that relate to adversity in our work?

Recently we’ve been working on an amazing brand development project – developing a creative look and feel, loads of assets to produce, concept to artwork to video and animation – but in an incredibly tight time frame. Super tight. Around 3 months work in 4 weeks. It’s the kind of time frame which means we need to be right first time, every at every stage of the process. Which in the highly subjective world of creative and graphic design, is a tough ask. But our client needed it, they rely on us, their reputation is in our hands. There’s been a few late nights, granted, but being under that pressure has really honed the focus on what’s critical, what steps in our processes can be skipped, forced us to find new ways to get decisions made quickly, and really got the creative juices firing on all cylinders.

When I look back on a lot of our most successful work, there’s often been an enormous challenge, something that seems slightly scary or completely unknown. It shouldn’t be scary though. This is the fuel of greatness. We’ve learnt to accept these challenges, not just because our clients are relying on us, but also because these big challenges will be the furnace from which our best work is forged.

So we’re now much more comfortable getting uncomfortable. As the saying goes, diamonds are formed under pressure.

The post Why we should embrace challenges and adversity appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

The Zap team goes Nuclear

James Golding — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:31:53 +0000

The ZAP team goes Nuclear

By James Golding

Nuclear Races is not a normal team building day. But then again, we’re not a normal team.

What does a ‘normal’ team building day consist of? Chances are it’s something civilised, warm, dry and safe. So when the idea of an extreme obstacle course race in the depths of November was banded around the office, I could reasonably have expected there to be very few takers. How wrong I was.

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Nuclear races in Essex is one of the most well respected Obstacle Course Races in the country, it has enough to challenge the most worthy Athlete (100m monkey bars?!). It’s a gruelling 7 or 14km challenge, containing a range of obstacles, not least… mud. There’s every kind of mud imaginable. Claggy, sticky, viscous, runny, crumbly, slippery… we’ve tried it all and we’re now connoisseurs of the stuff. There’s climbing obstacles. Tunnels. Mud. Ditches. Water obstacles. Mud. Hills. Death slide. More mud. Did I mention there was a lot of mud?

Not an event for the faint hearted. Or with a cleanliness OCD. So when the idea was discussed and the team decided they really wanted to go for it, I was blown away! No big runners of gym bunnies here – they knew they were pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. But everyone attacked it whole heartedly, with determination and most importantly, togetherness.

The obstacles are designed to challenge everyone, and needed teamwork to overcome them. One obstacle for example was a large plastic tube suspended above a muddy lake, which required team members to rotate it in order to spin someone over the top of it to progress. The bitterly cold weather and wet obstacles also meant we had to make sure we all kept moving, and encouraging each other to do so.

We helped each other round, stuck together and conquered it. A great experience for sure, but more importantly than that it was great to see our team not only willing to push themselves through such a challenge, but to do it with a together, supporting and encouraging each other.

The adventure ended with beer and burgers around an open fire in the event village, after putting on some very soothing warm dry clothes, ahead of the journey back. It was amazing to see the team get their teeth in to this unfamiliar and intimidating challenge. I think being able and willing to step up to difficult tasks and give it your best is a massive display of character.

Maybe next time we do a team day we’ll go for something a little more ‘normal’?

Probably not…

The post The Zap team goes Nuclear appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

Why we should embrace challenges

James Golding — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 00:19:43 +0000

Why we should embrace challenges

By James Golding

Sometimes the world can be a tough place to live and work.

Watching the London Marathon recently was inspirational, so many people putting them selves through a gruelling experience, pushing their bodies beyond the levels most people think they’re capable of. Many making it harder for themselves by wearing heavy fancy dress costumes too!

But so many of them doing it in the name of a worthy cause – a bereavement, a charity, something that effects or supports a loved one who’s seriously unwell. It was a real celebration of triumph in the face of adversity.

There isn’t always a happy ending of course (and unfortunately), but I would wager a lot have people that have been forced in to change are better for it, in one way or another.

So how does that relate to adversity in our work?

Recently we’ve been working on an amazing brand development project – developing a creative look and feel for a product range for one of our clients, loads of assets to produce, concept to artwork to video and animation – but in an incredibly tight time frame. Super tight. Around 3 months work in 4 weeks. It’s the kind of time frame which means we need to be right first time, every at every stage of the process. Which in the highly subjective world of creative and graphic design, is a tough ask. But our client needed it, they rely on us, their reputation is in our hands. There’s been a few late nights, granted, but being under that pressure has really honed the focus on what’s critical, what steps in our processes can be sped up, forced us to find new ways to get decisions made quickly, and really got the creative juices firing on all cylinders.

So we’re now much more comfortable getting uncomfortable. As the saying goes, diamonds are formed under pressure.

The post Why we should embrace challenges appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

Sounds like it’s coming home

James Golding — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 22:28:34 +0000

Sounds like it’s coming home

Our team has been enjoying the Euro’s this month, and we’ve collated a knock-out playlist of football tracks to enjoy!

You’re welcome!

More news

5 Creative Trends we expect in 2026

Fun, News, Thoughts

Our studio playlist: music to fuel your creativity

Fun, Team, Thoughts

Charity Annual Report Design

Annual Report, Design for Good, Infographics, Thoughts

The post Sounds like it’s coming home appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

We’re after a WordPress Developer

James Golding — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 14:12:54 +0000

We’re after a WordPress Developer

You will be responsible for bringing website designs to life, primarily through WordPress, as well as editing and maintaining existing sites. You’ll be the sole developer in-house working across multiple clients, so you must feel confident & be competent enough to build bespoke creative websites from the ground up under your own steam. The role requires a good base knowledge of WordPress, and it’s inner workings. Any other platforms would be a bonus.

This is a real opportunity for an ambitious and confident individual to enhance their commercial experience and skillset. You’ll be trusted to take the lead on the build, taking an active part in the development of the service we offer our clients. Whilst also having the opportunity to be a part of a close knit and highly supportive team.

Key Responsibilities:

Make sure all online output is as strong as can be, add value and suggest techniques or better ways of doing things during the design process. Look for new and challenging ways to make our websites stand out and impress.
Following provided wireframes, whilst making commercially sound recommendations for amendments based on UX. Ensuring designs are interactive & engaging.
Manage and collaborate with external developers.
Manage seamless site migrations.
Utilise and achieve the best out of WordPress, understanding the best plug-ins available & applications so that each website functionality is maximised.
Understand and implement XML & API integrations.
Apply quality control, cross-browser testing to iron out & fix any errors or broken links.
Ability to manage multiple builds simultaneously, working to set deadlines.
Website maintenance and security updates, stay on top of the latest security protocols.
An ability to effectively communicate with the team and from time to time, the clients.
Stay on top of web design trends in the ever-changing world of web development, and be aware of best practice, ensuring our sites tick all the right boxes.

Day-to-Day Tasks

Develop and deliver websites as close as possible to the designers vision, both from scratch and using themes / page builders.
Website maintenance and security updates, stay on top of the latest security protocols.
Cloud hosting management and administration
Occasional HTML emails and email signatures.
Support SEO services and optimisations of our websites, potentially get involved with Google Adwords tasks and Google my business / webmaster tools.

Key Qualities

Methodical and very organised. Pragmatic. Take control of projects under tight deadlines, manage expectations and handle pressure well.
A natural problem solver with a ‘can do’ attitude.
Excellent at communication and have strong organisational skills.
A team player.
An eye for detail and design would be a big advantage.

About us

About the opportunity

– Private healthcare

– Eyecare and dental

– Training opportunities

– Excellent holiday inc Christmas to New Year shut down

– Staff outings (COVID dependent!)

– New Forest waterfront location (the role is working from our office in Hythe, Southampton)

– Design for Good programme to support worthy causes

Apply now

To apply, please email your CV and portfolio to the address below, as well as some detail on what you feel you can offer. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to undertake a short development task.

iwanttowork@zapcreative.co.uk

More news

5 Creative Trends we expect in 2026

Fun, News, Thoughts

Our studio playlist: music to fuel your creativity

Fun, Team, Thoughts

Charity Annual Report Design

Annual Report, Design for Good, Infographics, Thoughts

The post We’re after a WordPress Developer appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

We are 10!

James Golding — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 22:43:59 +0000

We are 10!

By James Golding

ZAP are ten years young this month! Doesn’t sound like a big number, but it’s an important threshold for us as a team.

How did we get here?

It’s one of those questions you ask yourself when you’re starting out – where will we be in ten years? What will the business look like? What kind of work will we be doing?

Well, we certainly didn’t anticipate everything, especially recently. The last 12 months has taught us many lessons but first and foremost to assume nothing and prepare for everything. Crazy stuff happens, and the world really doesn’t care about our plans!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say we had a clear roadmap to this point and have achieved everything we wanted to. Unfortunately, it’s simply not the case. We have evolved in many ways in the last ten years, reacted to change and opportunity, and helped a lot of people and companies make their mark. But it certainly hasn’t been a watertight ten year plan guiding us to this point.

Yes, a journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step…

…but until you’ve walked a few paths, how can you truly know which is the right one? We’ve worked in a wide range of industries over the last ten years, with a wide range of clients and businesses. We’re fortunate to have incredible clients who are a joy to work with, who respect and trust us, and who’s work we love to do. It feels a bit arrogant to say, but we know what kind of clients and work we want to pursue now. We know where we want to go, and even though it’s going to be a long journey, we’re on the right path.

We’ve also become firm believers that we have a responsibility as a functioning business and as a team of visual communicators to use our time and resources for good causes, and are extremely proud and passionate of our Design For Good programme.

So we’ve developed a clear vision and made big plans for the next 10 years, to build on the amazing team we’ve now got, and to better serve the fantastic clients that we’re extremely grateful to have. Can’t be sure if we’ll achieve everything we want to in that time, but we’ll have fun trying, we’ll do some great work, and work with some great people. Thoroughly looking forward to the next 10!

“It’s not about the Destination, it’s about the journey.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

More news

5 Creative Trends we expect in 2026

Fun, News, Thoughts

Our studio playlist: music to fuel your creativity

Fun, Team, Thoughts

Charity Annual Report Design

Annual Report, Design for Good, Infographics, Thoughts

The post We are 10! appeared first on Zap Creative Ltd.

We’re after a conceptual Senior Designer

James Golding — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 16:44:51 +0000

THIS VACANCY IS NOW CLOSED – NO FURTHER APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

We’re after a conceptual Senior Designer

We’re after an experienced conceptual Senior Designer, with a portfolio of rock solid design and conceptual creative work that will knock our socks off. You’ll be a like-minded individual who will bring their own flair and channel their creative influences into beautifully crafted, brand-led communication design across a mix of global and UK brands.

This is an office based role working from our studio in Hythe, Southampton. Applicants must live an easily commutable distance from the office.

About the role

Working with our close-knit team of designers and support staff, you will produce the highest quality design work across a range of mediums and sectors, and ensure the timely delivery of spectacular work to a standard that wows our clients! You will find new ways to push the creativity of our brands, to meet and exceed our clients expectations. You will also be a conceptual thinker, capable of providing the creative spark that ignites a brand or creative campaign, and be capable of realising your vision collaboratively with the wider team.

About you

– You relish a blank canvas, and love the process of building knock-out creative from scratch.

– You understand the intricacies of creative briefs, absorb the business objectives and are able to conceptualise new and innovative ways to solve creative problems.

– You’re a team player, and comfortable working in a studio environment.

– You’re confident in your ability, and comfortable rationalising your decision making.

– You’re articulate, able to communicate your visions and don’t mind waxing lyrical about your craft.

– You’re comfortable in front of clients.

– You’re ice cool under pressure, pragmatic and able to prioritise creative tasks.

– You’re experienced working in brand development and digital design. Any experience in packaging and product development would be a huge bonus.

– You’re emotionally intelligent, compassionate, able to read between the lines with clients and colleagues, and always put people first.

– You’re inspirational, have your finger on the pulse with design trends and a thirst for seeking out new techniques and styles. You’re great at picking out inspiring examples of creative to help explain your thinking and get the creative juices flowing.

– You’re right at home with Adobe Creative Suite, from digital scamps right through to designed client decks.

– You’re portfolio is stunning.

About us

About the opportunity

– Private healthcare

– Eyecare and dental

– Training opportunities

– Excellent holiday inc Christmas to New Year shut down

– Staff outings (COVID dependent!)

– New Forest waterfront location (the role is working from our office in Hythe, Southampton)

– Design for Good programme to support worthy causes

Apply now

To apply, please email your CV and portfolio to the address below, as well as some detail on what you feel you can offer. Shortlisted applicants will be asked to undertake a short design / conceptualisation task.

iwanttowork@zapcreative.co.uk