Meet the FX Team: Designer, Ben Cornhill
'Meet the FX Team' is a deep dive into the heart of FX, giving you a taste for life at one of London's leading tech companies. Here, we speak with Designer, Ben Cornhill, to uncover more about his role and what life is like for him at FX.
What does a typical day look like for you in the Design team?
"The Design team start off the day with a 'Designers Assemble' (called 'Designers Assemble' based on the Avengers Endgame film) to essentially bring the Creative team together for a chat about the previous day as well as the day ahead and to also catch up on all the awesome work everyone is creating. We're a very tight-knit team so another aim of our 'Designers Assemble' is to keep everyone's spirits up, keep a level playing field for the team and ensure everyone is happy. It also provides the opportunity for the team to see if anyone requires help or support with anything either inside or outside of the Design team.
Between all the numerous Zoom calls throughout the day, I'm involved in constructing lots of variable solutions for a clients' products and continuously updating these as well as addressing any next steps. Fortunately, it's not all just Zoom calls and pixel-pushing as the day also consists of researching new and emerging trends and playing around with new and exciting software.
I'm currently in the middle of starting up a 'Doodle Club' where members of the FX team can come along and be themselves, be creative and do something which isn't digital by drawing with pen and paper. It's an open and confidential place for team members to come along and chat about anything and everything to make sure we're addressing everyone's mental health and making sure the team are all in a good place."
What do you enjoy most about your role as a Designer?
"It's such a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated, hard-working team where everyone is so supportive. Everyone comes together, and being part of that collaboration to create solutions for these challenging issues that clients throw our way is quite rewarding.
It's not all about the Creative team specifically though, as being a designer means I help lots of different teams, like the Marketing team, for example, as well as anyone else consulting on design to help bring their ideas to life and this is something I really enjoy."
How have you managed to stay connected with the team whilst remote working?
"As part of the FX furniture – having been here for over six years – I'm always trying to keep my ear to the ground, reaching out to as many team members as possible, with this made even easier by the fact that I work closely with many of the team.
In all honesty, if it wasn't for the platforms we have in place such as Slack and Notion, for example, I'd become a bit of a recluse. However, staying connected has always been an integral part of all our lives at FX. It's important to boost each other's morale and have fun along the way.
Throughout numerous lockdowns, something that has really helped the team was the frequent Zoom quizzes, presentations and party games which really helped everyone's mental health in what was a very challenging period, meaning we all stayed well connected throughout."
Have you learned anything new in your time at FX?
"I joined FX from a young age and everything that I am today as digital creative is due to what I've learnt from the many knowledgeable souls, both inside and outside of FX.
I started with Photoshop back in the day which wasn't my favourite, but we're now using new software like Figma and the whole journey for me in my time here has been a learning process.
As somewhat of an introvert, it's hard to be present in the room on presentations, client calls etc. and this is something I've learnt to work on during the numerous lockdowns whilst working from home. It was my mission to observe everyone and their professionalism as well as their demonstrations. This was all about pushing myself to be better, putting that stake in the ground and proving to myself and the team that I can be a reliable person to turn to."
What is the most important piece of advice you would give to someone starting out at the beginning of your career path?
"First of all, stuff happens. Work hard, make friends, have fun and always be kind.
If your work doesn't fit a brief, that's alright, just be sure to constantly ask for help as this is the quickest way to learn on the job. Ultimately, you can do all of your research at home, but being in close proximity with the team and asking for advice, you'll find you learn a lot quicker as you can often learn inside things that you may not necessarily know.
Finally, be organised. There's a lot of resources available to help with day-to-day items to ensure you stay focused on the work and tasks at hand.
At the end of the day, remember that whatever happens happens, and just be kind to everyone, as it's the best way to be."
What's your favourite part about working at FX?
"It has to be the people that you meet, both inside and outside of work. Within work, another favourite part is the culture and that's really important to me, and at FX I really think it shows that we're an inclusive bunch that looks out for each other.
FX is very open-minded, aware of both mental health and physical health and having a laugh, and these things make for a very enjoyable experience here."
What would you like to see introduced at FX in the future?
"In the near future, there isn't really anything that springs to mind. We are expanding rapidly, so as long as we keep the great mindset that we already have as a company that continues to push boundaries and rip up that conventional norm, then I'm extremely happy with what the future entails."
What would you like someone who's interested in applying at FX Digital to know?
"In the words of Nike, "just do it!". We win and lose like everyone else, but we do it with style and grace, so if you are looking at a role and the requirements and you're thinking that you may not tick every box, just apply! Come to the team with an open mind, be responsive and show you want to learn with our team. Hit that apply button and join us!
I know for a fact that everyone who has joined hasn't regretted it. We're all really cool, friendly people. In the beginning, I guess I wasn't qualified enough but I worked hard and learnt on the job – you'll get there."
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