Freelance Graphic Designer · County Durham
Design expertise without the agency overhead.
Independent graphic design for organisations that value experience, consistency and clear thinking. From branding, print and digital campaigns to web design and SEO — backed by over 25 years in the creative industry and extensive NHS experience.
Start a conversation
Have a project in mind?
Tell me a little about what you need, where the project is up to and any timescales you are working to. I can help with individual projects, ongoing creative support or overflow work for agencies and marketing teams.
I also provide flexible project-based and overflow design support for agencies, in-house teams and marketing departments.
Send me a brief
A few details are enough to get the conversation started.
The person behind Blue Onion
Hi, I'm Carlos.
Designer, problem-solver and founder of Blue Onion.
I've spent more than 25 years working across graphic design, branding, print, marketing, digital and web — although getting here involved a slightly less conventional route than most creative biographies suggest.
I didn't actually start out as a designer.
My career began in account management, then moved through marketing, franchising and sales. But I kept finding myself drawn towards the ideas, artwork and creative side of the business. Eventually I stopped fighting it.
Quark. FreeHand. Late nights. And a lot of figuring things out.
I taught myself the tools on a blueberry iMac, added some courses at the local Tech and gradually turned curiosity into real design jobs. That practical way of learning has stuck with me: if something needs solving, understand it, work it out and get it done properly.
I never really specialised in a sector. I specialised in figuring things out.
The longer version.
Along the way I've worked in sales, marketing, publishing, print and creative direction; launched businesses and magazines; worked with NHS organisations; and built long-term relationships with companies across healthcare, construction, property, transport, legal and many other sectors.
More than simply making things look good.
I work across disciplines rather than forcing every project into one narrow specialism.
Brand & identity
Logo origination, brand development and visual systems that remain usable once they leave the presentation deck.
Design & artwork
Brochures, reports, campaigns, advertising, exhibition graphics, social assets and ongoing everyday creative support.
Print & production
More than 25 years working with print artwork, suppliers, publications, litho, digital, large-format and promotional materials.
Web & digital
Website design, Joomla, WordPress, e-commerce, digital creative, technical SEO and practical website performance.
Tools I use
My work is my CV.
Job titles tell part of the story. The work tells you far more. Have a look at some selected projects, see who I've worked with, or get in touch if you think we'd work well together.
