Studio Manager Simon Hathaway celebrates his 20th anniversary at MicroGraphix
“I’ve enjoyed every minute at MicroGraphix,” said Simon.
“I love my job and enjoy interacting with clients and my colleagues.
“Great design skills and great customer service remains the core ingredients of what we do to this day and it’s what I enjoy.”
Based in multi-purpose studios on the Rowood Estate, off Murdock Road, the agency has developed an enviable reputation for the production of marketing materials for firms locally, nationally and internationally.
Services include graphic design, website creation, photography, video as well as brand and marketing consultancy.
“I joined MicroGraphix when it was only one-year-old, it had its own studio and wanted to offer a complete service, which appealed to me,” said Simon.
“It has been great to be part of the company’s growth story.”
Simon completed a City and Guilds in Typographic Design at the Berkshire College of Art and Design and worked at M P Printers in Thame before joining MicroGraphix.
He said the biggest changes he has experienced during his career has been software and technology.
“Technology is always changing, and we have to ensure we stay on top of best practice and adapt,” he said.
“Originally we sent physical artwork to repro houses and then onto the printers. Printing brochures and catalogues required far more manual stages that didn’t involve a computer, which shows how rapid change has been.
“Initially Quark Express was the only real piece of design software but more recently InDesign has become the favoured product.
“Years ago almost everything we did ended up printed on a piece of paper or card in various forms, now it is more digitally focused, and we produce materials for multi-channel use.
“While the technology has changed our ethos of great design and customer service has always remained and we have retained a lot of customers through the years.
“Technology has enabled us to be more flexible and responsive to modern business demands.”
Simon predicts technology will continue to move at pace and the ten strong team at MicroGraphix will continue to adapt where required to stay ahead.
And Simon is looking forward to many more years in his career.
“It’s a great feeling to produce a design for a client and see them use it and then feedback that it’s made a real difference to their business,” he said.
Mike Linzey, MicroGraphix director said: “Simon has been part of our journey since the early days and has experienced so much development in our industry.
“We’re fortunate to have so many loyal and hard-working staff and our thanks goes to Simon for his fantastic service.”