I’m a multidisciplinary creative based in the North West, working across graphic design, digital marketing, writing, community-led storytelling and workshop delivery within the arts and charity sectors, with a focus on music. I collaborate with artists and organisations to craft visuals, narratives, and campaigns that connect people and ideas in meaningful ways. I’m the Founding Director of Where are the Girlbands, a grassroots Liverpool-based project celebrating women in music, advocating for safer creative spaces, and championing regional talent. I write for arts publications, speak at events, and facilitate creative workshops for young people, using creativity as a tool for advocacy to tell stories that foster change and build connection.…

Ella Fradgley

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I’m a multidisciplinary creative based in the North West, working across graphic design, digital marketing, writing, community-led storytelling and workshop delivery within the arts and charity sectors, with a focus on music. I collaborate with artists and organisations to craft visuals, narratives, and campaigns that connect people and ideas in meaningful ways. I’m the Founding Director of Where are the Girlbands, a grassroots Liverpool-based project celebrating women in music, advocating for safer creative spaces, and championing regional talent. I write for arts publications, speak at events, and facilitate creative workshops for young people, using creativity as a tool for advocacy to tell stories that foster change and build connection.…

Available to hire

I’m a multidisciplinary creative based in the North West, working across graphic design, digital marketing, writing, community-led storytelling and workshop delivery within the arts and charity sectors, with a focus on music. I collaborate with artists and organisations to craft visuals, narratives, and campaigns that connect people and ideas in meaningful ways.

I’m the Founding Director of Where are the Girlbands, a grassroots Liverpool-based project celebrating women in music, advocating for safer creative spaces, and championing regional talent. I write for arts publications, speak at events, and facilitate creative workshops for young people, using creativity as a tool for advocacy to tell stories that foster change and build connection.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Young Trustee at Creative Opps
January 1, 2026 - January 1, 2026
Young Trustee for Creative Opps - quarterly meetings and ad hoc organisational support.
Mentor at Voluntary Arts Emergency
January 1, 2026 - January 1, 2026
Mentoring a young person in the Liverpool City Region on creative practice & careers in the arts; monthly mentoring sessions; creation of bespoke resources and signposting; ad hoc support via email; introductions to industry connections in Merseyside.
Branding Designer at Working Class Movement Library
January 1, 2026 - January 1, 2026
The Great Betrayal: 100 Years on, the Lessons of the Strike Revisited — project branding, exhibition design (printed panels) and social media content creation.
Interim Content and Communications Manager at Orchestras for All
January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026
Marketing strategy for 2026, including fundraising, recruitment and brand awareness campaigns, and sharing programme delivery across paid and organic socials, newsletters, blogs and PR; liaised with creative partners across photography, graphic design, PR and campaign creative; implemented content and communications policies; content creation for social media, website & blogs; print design (flyers, business cards and banners); captured live content including photography, videography and audio interviews; managed and upskilled Communications Ambassadors (young people age 18-25, volunteers).
Freelance Graphic Designer at Maruja
January 1, 2025 - Present
Social media management and content creation; Pain to Power tour merchandise capsule; ad hoc graphic design, illustration & copywriting; creative and administrative support throughout Pain to Power album launch and tour, including holding stakeholder relationships.
Creative Freelancer - Graphic Design | Writing | Marketing | Community-led storytelling at Sony Music UK
January 1, 2025 - Present
Comprehensive album design for Maruja Pain to Power including core graphic illustrative assets and custom typography, packaging design for vinyl & CD; album launch materials such as website banner advertising, window display print design, billboard design and social media assets; Maruja UK Record Store Tour poster design.
Campaign & Community Manager at Music Patron
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2025
Data-driven marketing strategy; social media & email marketing management; implemented brand voice, filing practices and content marketing approach including webinars; photography and videography at live events; content creation across social media, blogs & print (flyers, business cards & magazine advertisement).
Exhibition Graphic Designer at Working Class Movement Library
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2024
Holding the Line: A New Look at the Grunwick Strikes — project branding, exhibition graphic design (site-specific phototex wall displays), e-invitation design and social media content creation.
Branding Designer at Working Class Movement Library
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2024
Big Flame: Inspiring Community Organising Then and Now — project branding, branding assets pack, and graphic design for recruitment materials across print (poster and leaflets) and social media.
Founding Director at Where are the Girlbands
January 1, 2018 - Present
Creative direction and organisational strategy; Melodic Distraction resident and content creator; monthly radio show and music journalism; live music programming and public speaking; zine design; development of partnerships and consultancy; keynote speaking and panels.

Education

BA Hons Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
UAL Foundation Diploma in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
BA Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University
January 1, 2018 - January 1, 2021
UAL Foundation Diploma in Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2018

Qualifications

Creative Mentor Network x Amazon XCM Marketing Mentorship
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
Child Protection in Education (Music) | Tes
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
Introduction to Digital Marketing | The Open University
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
Fundamentals of Digital Marketing | Google
October 26, 2024 - October 26, 2024
Enhanced DBS (DBS update service) Annual safeguarding training
January 1, 2021 - July 6, 2026
Introduction to Digital Marketing
January 1, 2023 - July 6, 2026
Creative Mentor Network x Amazon XCM Marketing Mentorship
January 1, 2023 - July 6, 2026

Industry Experience

Non-Profit Organization, Media & Entertainment, Other, Education, Professional Services, Software & Internet
    Maruja Pain to Power album design
    This time last year, I had just finished designing Maruja's debut album 'Pain to Power' for Sony Music Entertainment. I am immensely grateful to have been a part of this album, which holds significant meaning for me personally and for the thousands of people who find solace and connection through Maruja's music. The comprehensive album design included packaging for a CD, a coloured LP, a standard LP and a deluxe LP, with either inner sleeves or lyric booklets for each. Conceptually, the design was rooted in Maruja's deeply human sound. I aimed to make the physical album formats feel as tactile and handmade as the music itself. When I envisioned the audience holding the music as a physical object, I wanted it to feel like an artefact rather than just a product, embodying a sense of the clandestine. Mikey Thomas's album artwork provided abundant direction for the design, as did the album itself. However, I am always guided by research and concept, so I also drew inspiration from folklore, myth, religious iconography, and, of course, the sacred text of the album's lyrics for the album's key design motifs. The custom logo font and hand-drawn motifs I created for the album, as well as my compositional choices throughout the packaging, were influenced by the design language of Celtic medieval imagery, particularly the Book of Kells. Illustration was a central element in each format, serving as an age-old storytelling device. The full set of designs can be viewed here, where the album is available to purchase: https://www.twine.net/signin illustrator designer graphicdesigner…
    Maruja Pain to Power tour merchandise capsule design
    Last year, I had the joy and privilege of designing the merchandise for Maruja's Pain to Power tour (which is currently ongoing!) ☆ When it came to expanding the visual storytelling of Pain to Power into merchandising, I continued the research-led design approach I brought to the album. Where the album included motifs from medieval illuminated manuscripts, the merch was conceptually rooted in the role self-adornment played in medieval Britain. In 1363, Edward III’s sumptuary law strictly forbade embroidery on clothing for anyone below the level of esquire unless they had an income 5 times that of an esquire, making at least £100 a year. The adornment of the body by those not in the upper classes was an act of rebellion, an embracing of beauty and a defiance of expectations - all themes present in Maruja's music. It was also essential that the merch capsule fused these ornate design elements with the kinds of merch designs that fans would expect at shows. One example of this is the traditional band hoodie, which carries the secret message of an illustrated angel placed above the cuff, referencing medieval practices of embroidering figures of faith, protection and communication. It also uses the body as a canvas, encouraging the wearer to turn their hands outward to see the full image, revealing a secret and opening their palms in a pose of offering and vulnerability. As with all my work with Maruja, this process was incredibly collaborative, fulfilling and an absolute pleasure and privilege to be a part of! graphicdesigner branding illustrator designer…
    Working Class Movement Library - A Great Betrayal: One Hundred Years On' exhibition design
    I had the joy of delivering the design for Working Class Movement Library's ‘A Great Betrayal: One Hundred Years On - The Lessons of the 1926 General Strike’ exhibition, which is open now! ★ The exhibition design included 19 panels that narrate the timeline of the General Strike and highlight individual stories, including local people like Jack Forshaw from Salford, who became a martyr for the strike after being mistreated in prison, and Mancunian Ellen Wilkinson, whose voice has helped shape understandings of women’s roles in strike action. The design was developed by researching the existing visual language in WCML’s vast archives. Glyphs, line work, font choices, and compositional devices were sampled and reinterpreted to honour past materials documenting the strike, ranging from original bulletins from 100 years ago to research documents from the past 20 years. I also had the privilege of working very closely with the amazing team of volunteers aged 21 - 82 who curated the show. Through regular in-person meetings at the library from February to April, we discussed the design together to ensure I was aligning with their vision for the exhibition. The exhibition is now open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons from 1-4 pm! For more information, head to https://www.twine.net/signin…
    mixed-media visualiser for Dymna (DJ)
    Visuals I created for Manchester-based DJ Dympna ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ To capture the multi-genre magic and ecstatic joy of a Dympna set, I turned to a mixed-media approach of my own! Starting off with live photography and immersing myself in the vibrant jubilance of the night, I carried the feeling home and tried to inject it into the final images! The creative process brought together photography, digital manipulation, glitter explosions, and even more digital editing after scanning. It's such a privilege to help shape an artist's visual world, and forming these first artist images for Dympna was a particularly delightful experience ★ graphicdesigner branding designer…
    Bleedkit mixed media visualiser
    I love creating artwork for and with musicians, drawing inspiration and creative direction from the beautiful things they make - especially when a project involves more creative and conceptual methods. This post is an example of this! Mixed-media images capturing Bleed Kit's debut performance at Quarry, Liverpool ⋆˚꩜ These visuals were created using double-exposure techniques, blending photos I've taken of the early signs of spring with images from Bleed Kit's performance - a fitting combination, as the gig took place on the first day of spring and marked their first public music sharing. Afterwards, the images were printed, scanned and edited. graphicdesigner illustrator designer…
    Working Class Movement Library - Grunwick Strike exhibition design
    I had a wonderful evening last night celebrating the opening of Working Class Movement Library's new exhibition Holding the Line: A New Look at Grunwick 'No Recognition: No Half Measures', which I had the privilege of designing! The exhibition has been interpreted and co-curated with 10 young people aged between 18 and 26. Their research draws out the voices and testimonies of the predominantly South Asian workforce who led the 1976-1978 strike action. Based on the young people's vision for the exhibition, I created custom, site-specific panels designed to complement their curation and showcase their reflective writing. The collage-like approach, which incorporated various textures, documents, handwriting, stickers, and photography from the archival material, aimed to embody the spirit of organising and activism that defined the Grunwick strike. This included sampling elements such as company logos, the iconic "Support the Grunwick Strikers" stickers, and personal touches like handwritten notes in biro on letterheads. The group specifically requested that colour be integrated into the designs, so I drew from the large collection of internal communications, selecting textures and colours from pink, yellow, orange, blue and green stationery. This added vibrancy to the design while remaining true to the original source materials. Working with archival materials always fills me with hope. Even though the struggles of 50 years ago are being repeated today, these documents reveal the messy, complex truth that we can support one another and find solidarity. It is crucial that we internalise and share the lessons of the past to guide our actions in the present. I am always so, so grateful for the opportunity to work on projects like these and to learn so much from others (past and present). ♡ The exhibition is open to the public Wednesdays-Fridays from 1-4 pm. graphicdesigner photo illustrator designer branding…