How I Built a Freelance Design Practice Focused on Sustainability and Purpose-Led Clients

When I became self-employed in 2018, after leaving my role at Pentagram, I set out with a clear intention: to build a design practice centred around purpose-driven, environmentally focused work. At the time, I wasn’t sure whether it would be sustainable—or even possible—to focus my freelance career so specifically. But I knew that aligning my skills with organisations creating positive change would give my work a deeper sense of meaning.

Over the years, that intention has shaped my practice in ways I couldn’t have predicted. I’ve had the opportunity to partner with impactful, mission-led organisations such as Earthed, Global Canopy, Soil Association, Climate Outreach, Sussex Surplus, and The Earthshot Prize. Working with clients committed to environmental and social progress has reinforced the belief that design is far more than visual communication. It can inform, inspire, mobilise, and help drive systemic change.

These collaborations have also shown me that purpose-driven design is not just creatively fulfilling—it’s strategically valuable. Many organisations working in climate, sustainability, and social impact need clear, accessible design to translate complex ideas into tools that people can understand and act on. Being able to support that process has become central to how my practice operates.

Focusing on environmental and sustainability-focused clients has helped define my day-to-day work as a freelance designer. Instead of chasing trends or working across any and every sector, I’ve built a studio rooted in values—one where projects are guided by impact, clarity, and long-term purpose. This approach has not always been the most predictable route, but it has been the most rewarding. Even when the work isn't the most creative work, it has purpose and meaning baked into it.

What began as a hopeful intention in 2018 has grown into the core of my work today: a design practice dedicated to supporting organisations who are shaping a more sustainable, equitable future, whilst also helping bring into the fold the 'not there yet' clients on how they can produce designed communications that are more environmentally friendly. As the landscape of climate and social impact continues to evolve, I’m looking forward to collaborating with more mission-led teams who believe in the power of thoughtful design to create change.