Take It From Me: Sammy Murphy, designer and founder of Pier Journal
The Take It From Me series highlights small business founders sharing their journey and tips on how to navigate an independent lifestyle.
This week I chat to Sammy Murphy, a designer and co-founder of Pier Journal; an independent community journal celebrating the creative culture of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Tell us a bit about your typical day?
By day, I am a graphic designer at Make Studio, a creative agency in Bournemouth. By night, I’m art director of Pier Journal, an independent community magazine. I feel like one of those superheroes with multiple identities- only without the rock and roll lifestyle!
My typical day starts with some tea and toast (marmite, of course), followed by a 15 minute walk through Boscombe to Make Studio. Together with the design and CGI team, we work on product campaigns and property branding for some of Make’s biggest clients. When I get home, I grab a quick dinner and jump on the computer and start working on Pier Journal with my partner Chris.
As a designer, your creativity takes you in many directions. You want to be your own boss, but you also want to be part of a team. You want financial security, but you also want to pursue a passion project. You never know, that one idea might take off and become your full time job, and you can spend the rest of your life doing something that you love. Until then, Chris and I work late nights and weekends to make Pier Journal as successful as it can be, hoping that one day they’ll be a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow.
What has been your most exciting creative project to date, and why?
Having worked in London for 8 years, I had the opportunity of working with a range of brands such as The Sunday Times, BBC, Yo! Sushi, The O2 and Barclays. It’s difficult to pick a single project, but I have to say that designing event branding for BBC Music Introducing stages at various summer festivals, including Glastonbury, Latitude and Reading and Leeds was one of my standout projects of my time in the city. This opportunity combined my love for music and design, and it was a joy to see my work out there in the world. I also managed to blag a ticket to the BBC Music Christmas Party and meet Steve Lamacq, which was pretty awesome!
Now having launched Pier Journal, we have the opportunity to grow beyond a magazine and start branching out into community events such as art exhibitions, makers markets and music festivals. Our website is now live and we’re excited to see what new creative projects are on the horizon.
What is the most challenging aspect of being a creative/ side-hustle/ small business owner?
When you work in a creative studio, you have the support of your whole team. In a side hustle, you take on a lot more responsibility and have to learn to wear many hats. Account director, social media manager, copywriter, developer, project manager, artworker… the list goes on. That can be really challenging, as you worry that you’re not doing enough of what you love: the actual designing. The sole reason why you started the side hustle in the first place.
I’m lucky that I founded Pier Journal with my partner Chris, as we’re able to support each other and share the workload, especially when the print deadline is fast approaching! I’ve also joined initiatives like Plan Make Do and TOSH Creative Hub, who have helped me build a support network amongst other creatives in the area.
Who or what is your main inspiration for your work?
People. I love creating designs that empower people. Work that ignites change, whether it’s bringing a smile to someone's face or changing someone’s outlook on life. It’s easy to create something that looks good, but design that means something is so much more impactful.
My outlook on life really changed when I was living in London during the pandemic. It forced me to stop and take focus on my career. I looked beyond the corporate bubble I was in and realised I wanted to create designs that made a positive impact on the world.
After this realisation, I started to chase work that would make a real difference to people's lives. This included Requestr- an app that allows communities to connect with their neighbours. This helped vulnerable people during lockdown to reach out to their neighbours and request help with their normal day to day tasks, including grocery shopping and collecting prescriptions. I also designed and illustrated a campaign close to my heart, Long Live The Pub, an initiative raising money for independent pub operators affected by the pandemic. Together, we launched a t-shirt collection, where all profits went to Hospitality Action, which sold out within 24 hours!
This change in attitude led to me leaving London to chase a better work-life balance. We soon discovered Bournemouth’s unpretentious creative scene and thriving independent community, and we wanted to do something that celebrated the wealth of talent here. Within the year, Pier Journal was born. Our aim was to give a boost to the local economy and provide a platform for small businesses coming out of the lockdown. We were keen to make a difference to the area we’re lucky enough to call home, and hope our readers see Pier as an extension of their own community.
What lessons have you learned from working in the creative industry?
The best ideas come from collaboration, that’s why I’ve always loved being a part of a team. No matter what level you are, you always have space to grow and learn something new. The people around me constantly inspire me everyday and help me elevate my work and push it to places I never thought it could go. In my 10 years experience, I have worked with so many talented designers and each one has shaped me into the designer I am today. Learning from others has helped my career progression and furthered my design practice.
Do you have a last bit of advice for any creative reading this?
Get away from your computer screen. Open up and allow yourself to be inspired by your surroundings and the people around you. Get outside and go for a walk, pop down to the pub with friends or jump in the mosh pit at a gig. By living your life to the full, your creativity will follow.
Thank you so much Sammy!
Find out more about Pier Journal here and see more of Sammy’s work here
You can also find out more about creative agencies that are based in outside of London and support a better work/life balance here.