About Frank Duffy MA

Flexible South-West Wales-based creative & professional printmaker, illustrator and graphic designer with a wealth of experience, wide-ranging clients and excellent testimonials. Visiting lecturer at Falmouth University.

A bit of history

I’ve been working as a full-time graphic designer and illustrator since 2000.

Initially I worked for an agency in Cambridge. In 2002 I became senior designer, working directly with clients like Blackwell’s Bookshops, Marks and Spencer, InterContinental Hotels Group and Bass PLC, from brief to sign-off.

In 2003 I went freelance, primarily designing magazines and brochures. I was the main print designer for Ideal Bathrooms for several years. I’ve worked for a wide variety of clients – from start-ups to FTSE 100 international corporations, and I’ve designed logos, adverts, posters, brochures, business cards, created animated backdrops for conferences, come up with huge murals and constructed fabric wall hangings. I’m pretty flexible.

In 2010 I created illustrations for National Museum Cardiff’s children’s workshop Sounds of the Dinosaurs. The workshop was so loved it was published as children’s book Albie the Adventurer in English and Arwyn yr Anturiwr in Welsh. The book was longlisted for the Ti’r na nog prize.

In 2014 I joined The Printhaus screen printing collective in Cardiff and learned to print.

In September 2016 I exhibited prints and paintings alongside willow sculptor Woody Fox in a show called WILD SIGHT in Tŷ Celf, Aberystwyth.

In October 2016 I started a part-time MA at Falmouth University in Illustration: Authorial Practice. My final project was an illustrated book; I graduated with distinction in September 2018.

What I can do

I have desktop and laptop macs both running the latest Adobe CC suite.

I can create design work from scratch – I can help you flesh out your brief, help you choose papers, provide pencil sketches, comps, photoshop your spots out and provide printers’ PDFs. I can source print quotes, liaise directly with printers and translate technical speak into plain English. I will not blind you with science. If you are new to this stuff I will hold your hand and walk you through it.

I’ve advanced skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign. I know my way around After Effects and Microsoft Word (yep, you can design rather well in Word, believe it or not). My hand-drawing skills are excellent, and I can paint well in acrylic and oils. I tend to illustrate by hand using a brush pen for linework and then colour digitally but have also created illustrations using a dip pen and oil paints. I have a Rollaco Cachet etching press which I use to create linocut printwork.

I am not fluent in Welsh but very comfortable working with the language. I have plenty of experience working bilingually – for clients like National Museums Wales, The Royal Mint and TUC.

What I am like

I’ve been doing this a while and know my stuff. If I don’t know an answer to your question I’ll be honest about it. I provide firm quotes, communicate clearly, I meet deadlines. I take responsibility for things, I get excited about things, and I work with humour and enthusiasm. I like working for the good guys.

I’ve no interest in bullshitting people. I probably swear too much.

I have lots of nice testimonials and am more than happy to provide references.

I am a non-binary trans person and my pronouns are they and them 🙂