Advice sessions with design industry specialists, including Alan Herron, David Smith, Francis McEntegart, Dick Mawdsley…

Design Initiative will be hosting an afternoon of one to one surgery sessions with design industry specialists on Wednesday 29th September for Liverpool based designers.

Award winning and specialist reviewers from a range of disciplines and backgrounds will offer expert advice on issues relevant to your design business, constructive criticism on your portfolio development and work, and information to help your business move ahead, during 40 minute one to one sessions.

Advisors confirmed to date:

David Smith, Director, Innovationworks:
Area of specialism: Design, new product/process/service development, manufacture, routes-to-market, marketing and business planning and development.

Alan Herron, Creative Director, True North:
Area of specialism: Branding, graphic design and graphic arts, advice on portfolio and work development, client relationships, presentation and pitching.

Dick Mawdsley, Director, Utility:
Area of specialism: Retail, homeware and contemporary gift, suitability for markets, positioning, pricing presentation for the retail market and approaching retailers.

Francis McEntegart, Managing Director, McEntegart Legal:
Area of specialism: Legal issues including client and employment contracts, copyright, intellectual property, ecommerce, licensing and other agreements.

Priority for sessions will be given to designers working or living in
the Liverpool City Council area.

Booking: essential. To book a session and for further information please email elaine@designinit.org.uk with full contact details, your design discipline and any areas you would particularly like advice on.

Cost: £15 per 40 minute session.

This event is made possible through support from Liverpool Vision.

Advisor Profiles:

David Smith, Director, Innovationworks.
David Smith has spent his career working in and around the design sector helping businesses grow and develop through innovation and marketing.

A trained product designer, David also assesses firms’ investment readiness, and advises a range of agencies and universities on business support. He is an Associate of The Manufacturing Institute.

Alan Herron, Creative Director, True North.
Alan joined True North as joint Creative Director in 2005, after a five year spell as Creative Director at The Chase in Manchester. He has worked in London for some of the best design consultancies around including Michael Peters and Partners, Lloyd Northover and David Davies Associates .He then set up and then sold his highly successful design consultancy, Giant, which operated for 13 years in London.

Currently working on a variety of great projects, large and small, for the National Portrait Gallery, Royal Mail, Tate, Bristol Museums and Art Galleries Service, Durham University and The People’s History Museum in Manchester, Alan has an award winning track record with work featured in D&AD, Benchmark Awards, Marketing Design Awards, Design Week Awards and Art Directors Club of New York to name but a few.

Alan has been an external examiner of Graphic Design at Somerset College of Art & Design and Lincoln University, a regular visiting lecturer at colleges around the country, and has judged awards for D&AD, Roses, Scottish Design Awards and The Association of Illustrators.


Dick Mawdsley, Director, Utility.
Dick Mawdsley is a Director of Utility who have three stores in Liverpool and one in Preston together with a successful website. Utility was founded over 10 years ago and specialises in the retail of design led homewares together with contemporary gifts. Utility sources from some of the leading European product/furniture design companies together with progressive UK designers/companies.
Dick originally graduated and worked as a Chartered Surveyor specialising in retail before exploring his passion for architecture, interiors and product design founding both Coffee Union and Utility. He is also chair of the Bold Street Traders Association and chair of the Ropewalks Stakeholder Forum. Dick is also a regular on the selection panel for Liverpool Design Festival’s Design Shows.