Meet your new…
Unofficial creative director.
I’m Nat
Designer + Brand strategist + Metalhead + Horror-movie enthusiast + Brutally-honest critic of average brands
Growing businesses don’t always need a big agency.
What they usually need is someone experienced in their corner — someone who can step into the mess, figure out what’s not pulling its weight, and help turn a scattered brand into something that actually makes sense.
That’s the role I play.
I started Real Good Design to work more like an in-house creative lead, just without the commitment of hiring someone full-time.
Someone who understands your business, keeps an eye on the bigger picture, and makes sure everything you’re putting out into the world actually lines up.
Because most of the time, the issue isn’t the product. It’s everything around it.
I work with businesses who know their brand deserves better than good enough.
They’re usually at one of two points.
Some are established, but their brand has been pulled in too many directions — shaped by different freelancers, quick decisions, and one-off fixes that never quite joined up. The website says one thing, the packaging says another, and the socials are off doing their own weird little side quest.
Others are earlier on, but want to do it properly from the start — with a clear direction, not something pieced together as they go.
Either way, the work starts in the same place.
Understanding the business. What you’re building, who it’s for, where it’s going, and how the brand needs to support that.
From there, it’s about bringing everything into alignment — so your brand feels considered, consistent, and actually reflective of the level you’re operating at.
And what would I know?
Over the past 15+ years, I’ve worked across boutique design studios, advertising agencies, in-house teams and independent consulting.
That’s meant everything from campaigns and websites to packaging, brand identities and all the small details in between that keep a business looking consistent and professional.
Along the way, I’ve worked with brands across food and beverage, beauty, wellness, festivals, utilities and professional services.
Different industries, same pattern: good businesses being let down by branding that doesn’t reflect the level they’re operating at.
That experience has given me a solid understanding of both sides of the process — the creative thinking behind strong brands, and the reality of running a business and needing things to actually get done.
So yes, I care about good design.
But I also care about whether it works. On shelves, on screens, and in the day-to-day of a real business.
The non-work version
Outside of work, I’m your fairly standard skinny-jeans-and-trainer-socks millennial.
I grew up in Cornwall in the UK and at 18 I somehow ended up in Adelaide, Australia. Since then, there have been countless hours on the beach spent drinking gin whilst pretending to be sun-safe.
As well as being a kick-ass designer, I’ve spent the better part of a decade in boxing gyms, first as a fitness coach and later stepping into the ring myself. I even had my first amateur fight at 38, which felt like a questionable decision at the time but turned out to be one of the better ones!
These days I prefer to keep all of my brain cells, but do still train a lot (partly because I enjoy it, but mainly because I eat cookies like I’ve never heard of consequences).
I also have a slightly unsavoury interest in muddy obstacle races, a long-standing love of horror films, and a full commitment to Halloween despite living in a country that refuses to take it seriously.