About
Q&A
Peter or Pete?
Pete
Day job?
London based designer and creative director specialising in brand identity, visual identity systems, creative communication and website UI/UX. Examples of my commercial work can be viewed here.
Career highlights?
→ Rebranded the Bank of England
→ Captained the creative team that produced three FIFA World Cup emblems
→ Modernised the Hawk jet for BAE Systems
→ Crafted the ECB’s three lions to give them more bite
Birthplace?
Liverpool
Red or Blue?
Lilac
First job?
Paperboy at my mum and dad’s shop.
Claim to fame?
Beat Coldplay in a battle of the bands.
What three words?
Art. Design. Music.
Desert island discs?
ABBA → Eagle
Booker T & The MGs → Time Is Tight
Depeche Mode → Enjoy The Silence
Elvis Presley → Polk Salad Annie (Live)
Pulp → Common People
New Order → Blue Monday
Talking Heads → Road to Nowhere
The Stone Roses → I Am The Resurrection
Book: The Mighty Book of Boosh by Dave Brown
Luxury item: Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar
Vices?
Guitars and golf.
Favourite type of cheese?
Grated.
Creative side hustle?
themickey.com
Word to the wise?
→ It’s easier to criticise than it is to create
→ People don’t value what they don’t pay for
→ Embarrassment kills creativity
→ Drinking in moderation is the killer of all good nights out
What business advice would you give yourself at the start of your career?
→ Stick with it, ride the highs and lows
→ Keep a diary
→ Don’t take people at their word, get the important stuff down in writing
Where have you worked?
Client-side I’ve worked for Kooth plc and the Bank of England. Agency-side I’ve worked for CAS (Commercial Advertising Services), Dragon Rouge, Fathom, Interbrand, Make Complex Simple, Saatchi & Saatchi, Seven Brands, Siegel+Gale, Signal Communications, Thoburns, Thumb Design Partnership, TILT, and Whitestone International (co-founder).
Recent commissions?
I’ve been working directly with company owners, stakeholders, and decision makers on:
→ Rebrand for Pebl
→ Brand refresh, visual identity, annual report, and website development for Kooth plc
→ Brand refresh and website UI/UX for a global management software (SaaS) provider
→ Brand refresh and website UI/UX for a high-end corporate events company
Superpower?
Engaging presenter who can read the room ~ even on a zoom call.
Mantra?
→ Work hard
→ Stay humble
→ Never stop learning
Dog or cat person?
Cat. We have two ~ Johnny (Cash) and Dolly (Parton). I love dogs also ~ we grew up with Alsatians, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers, and a one eyed Pekingese rescue who was a vicious little bast*rd.
Peter McCabe
Design & creative direction