Reflecting on 2024 with personal and professional challenges

Looking back on this year, it feels like a colourful mosaic of challenges, discoveries and joyful moments. It’s been a year that pushed me to grow in unexpected ways, both personally and professionally, with a mix of dynamic design projects that kept my creativity alive and thriving.

One of the greatest highlights has been carving out precious quality time with my family—a cornerstone of why I embraced the freelance lifestyle in the first place. Balancing work that I’m passionate about with the freedom to cherish these moments has been incredibly fulfilling and reminds me why I chose this path.

Investing in myself

One of the most significant parts of this year was dedicating time to personal and professional development. I enrolled in an acquisition design course, which took up a large chunk of the year, but it was worth every moment. The course focused on strategies for acquiring new clients, with a particular emphasis on using video marketing and building effective client funnels.

Learning to communicate my skills and services through video has been a game-changer. It’s something I hadn’t fully explored before, but this year gave me the chance to experiment, adapt, and see the results firsthand. It’s been exciting to step outside my comfort zone and acquire skills that not only benefit my business but also help me grow as a creative professional.

Welcoming new clients

I was fortunate to work on some truly rewarding projects this year. One that stood out was with Square Miles Sport, an app designed to motivate users through virtual challenges and relays in cities across the UK, Europe and the US. It was a fantastic opportunity to create some engaging designs that brought the app to life. There’s something so satisfying about designing tools that encourage people to stay active and explore new places, even virtually. I’ve been meaning to display some of the work I created for this project on my website. It’s definitely a “to-do” for 2025 because I’d love to showcase the journey and the designs that came out of it.

Another highlight of the year was collaborating with ‘Yond‘, a startup with an innovative concept I absolutely loved. Yond allows users to curate images of stunning landscapes and dream destinations they find on social media, pin them to a personal board and then transform those ideas into actual travel itineraries. It’s an inspiring way to turn digital inspiration into real-world experiences, and being part of this project was genuinely exciting.

Guest keynote speaker

Additionally, I had the privilege of speaking at Leeds Beckett University as a guest keynote speaker. My talk focused on the psychology behind navigating online customer journeys—a topic that’s both fascinating and deeply connected to my work. This opportunity came through their digital marketing apprenticeship course, and it was a joy to share my experiences while engaging with students eager to learn. Discussing how human psychology shapes the digital landscape reminded me why I’m so passionate about what I do.

A NEW business adventure with my wife

This year also marked a new chapter as my wife (Liz) and I launched a property company called ‘Walker & Hill‘. Property investment is something we’ve been interested in for years and we decided it was time to turn that interest into action. While I remain fully committed to my digital design business, this new venture is an exciting side project that allows us to explore a different industry together.

Our main goal is to grow our capital while learning the ropes of property management and investment. It’s been a fascinating journey so far, filled with new challenges and opportunities to develop skills that complement what we’ve learned from a Wealth management course that we’ve signed up to called ‘Touchstone Education’. This step feels like the beginning of something truly special and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds in the coming years.

Looking ahead

As 2024 comes to a close, I can’t help but feel grateful for the lessons, opportunities and connections this year has brought. It’s been a time of growth, experimentation and discovery and I hope it’s been just as fulfilling for you.

Looking ahead to 2025, I’m excited about the possibilities that lie ahead—new projects, collaborations and personal goals to pursue. I’ll be sharing updates along the way, so stay tuned. Here’s to making 2025 a year filled with even more growth, creativity and success for us all.