Russell Castley-Adams

Available to hire

I’m Russell Castley-Adams, a graphic designer and creative lead with 20+ years of experience building brand identities, design guidelines, and multi-channel campaign work across print and digital.

About

I’m Russell Castley-Adams, a graphic designer and creative lead with 20+ years of experience building brand identities, design guidelines, and multi-channel campaign work across print and digital. I’ve spent a large part of my career in London agencies, and for the last 12 years I’ve led creative independently within a small team. I was recently made redundant due to the overarching company entering administration.

My core strengths are brand identity, typography, layout and photography post-production, used across every touchpoint, from packaging and POS through to exhibition graphics and large-format signage. Supported by strong technical skills across Adobe Creative Cloud, along with a working knowledge of AI image generation tools. I bring a considered, visually compelling approach to every project and I’m happy to take on anything from simple artworking and amends through to full design projects from concept stage, while building strong working relationships along the way.

  • Joined September 2026

Industry experience

  • Retail
  • Education
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Professional Services
  • Consumer Goods
  • Financial Services
  • Manufacturing
  • Non-Profit Organization
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Travel & Hospitality

Projects · 7

Gainsborough is a heritage British bed and mattress brand and this was their first major rebrand for a number years. As lead designer, I was tasked with updating their tired and dated look with a fresher, more modern approach. Creating a full visual identity - logo, monogram, typography, colour palette, and a custom icon set - aiming for something timeless, luxurious, and rooted in genuine craftsmanship. The result is a brand that feels established and trustworthy, with a real sense of quality running through every detail.

  • Brand Designer
  • Designer
  • Graphic Designer
  • +2

Simply Natural was a mattress collection for Hushabye, built around natural materials and an honest approach to comfort. As lead designer, I created the full visual identity - logo, colour palette, typography, and photography direction — spanning both online stores and in-store POS, aiming for something warm, calm, and genuine. The result was a brand that feels considered without trying too hard, letting the quality of the materials speak for itself.

  • Brand Designer
  • Designer
  • Graphic Designer
  • +3

Photography post-production and image generation across a range of clients and product categories, spanning both online stores and in-store POS. Working closely with photographers from shoot planning through to final retouch, I combine product photography with stock environments and, increasingly, AI-generated scenes to produce finished lifestyle imagery that feels natural, considered, and commercially ready.

  • Graphic Designer
  • Photoshop Editor
  • Post-Production


Hush was a new rolled mattress brand created for Airsprung, launched at a time when bed-in-a-box brands were reshaping the market. I built the complete identity from scratch - logo, colour palette, typography, photography direction, POS, and website - creating something energetic and modern that could compete with a new generation of direct-to-consumer brands, while still carrying the quality of a 150-year-old British manufacturer behind it.

  • Ad Designer
  • Art Director
  • Artworker
  • +5

This project involved artwork and packaging design across several B&Q own-brand ranges, including Diall, Colours, Mac Allister, Fortress, and Verve. Working primarily in an artwork capacity with some design input, the role required accuracy and consistency across a high volume of SKUs - keeping each range visually coherent and shelf-ready across a busy retail environment.

  • Artworker
  • Brand Designer
  • Designer
  • +4


Grant Engineering was a UK heating solutions company varying projects covering a broad artworking role across product brochures, email newsletters, adverts and exhibition display stands. The work required careful handling of technical content across a large family of documents, keeping everything consistent, clear, and well-organised for a trade audience of heating engineers and installers.


For Pizza Express’s Birmingham Bullring site, I designed a striking stairwell that doubles as an artistic focal point, visible through the glass frontage to draw diners in. Bold horizontal stripes in varying widths wrap the walls across two floors, creating rhythm and movement that echoes the energy of a bustling pizzeria. The palette draws on Pizza Express’s Neapolitan roots and the eclectic, tailored spirit of Paul Smith, turning a transitional space into a memorable, unmistakably Pizza Express experience.

Work experience· 5 roles

Senior designer and creative lead · Arena DesignMar 2014 – May 2026 · 12 yrs 3 mos

Independently owned end-to-end creative output across brand identity, guidelines and photography post-production. Directed and delivered cohesive multi-channel work spanning digital and print campaigns, advertising, brochures, websites, exhibition graphics and large-format signage, maintaining consistent visual standards across all touchpoints. Worked directly with clients from brief to final delivery to build long-term relationships with major retailers and consumers, ensuring the output is clear, considered and impactful.

Worked within a specialist strategic design consultancy (designer) · Ignition Strategic DesignJun 2010 – Feb 2014 · 3 yrs 9 mos

Contributed to the creation and development of brand guidelines and packaging artwork for national and retail clients. Delivered design across brochures, advertising, exhibition graphics and signage, and also supported coding and design for HTML email campaigns. Helped bring strategic direction through to practical artwork and production deliverables across multiple client formats.

Part of a London agency (presentation & design production responsibility) · JHP DesignFeb 2005 – Jun 2010 · 5 yrs 5 mos

Took primary responsibility for designing and producing client presentations, developing and refining creative concepts from initial pitch through key development stages. Also contributed to brand identities, guidelines, typography, interior communications and signage for a portfolio of high-profile national and international clients.

Freelance Creative (advert and retail materials)Jul 2004 – Jun 2005 · 1 yr
Designer & artwork (print materials across sectors) · RenaissanceSep 1999 – Jul 2004 · 4 yrs 11 mos

Education

BTEC NVQ Level 2 Graphic Design · Central Graphics Academy1999
A Level Art & Design, English Language, Media Studies · Havering Sixth Form College1996 – 1998

Certifications and awards

BTEC NVQ Level 2 Graphic Design1999
A Level Art & Design, English Language, Media Studies1996 – 1998
GCSEs Art, Graphic Design, English, Maths, Science1991 – 1996

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