Laura Gregory has worked for Swanline for over 10 years as an Artworker. She came to Swanline straight after university having graduated in a highly relevant Graphic and Media Design degree course. Her knowledge was then consolidated with on-the-job experience.
“It was a gradual process of learning about the industry,” Laura tells us. “There is a lot to learn but there’s no faster way to learn than jumping in headfirst.”
Laura’s role includes checking and editing customer-supplied artwork, making sure it’s printable, and ensuring it’s ready to go to the next stage. She is also responsible for checking proofs, creating impositions and ordering tooling. “Each job is different. Sometimes artwork comes in that is basically ready to go and sometimes there can be a lot of work involved so it can take anywhere from less than an hour to a whole day before a job is ready to go to print,” Laura explains. “However, my favourite part is when a customer needs artwork to be created from scratch, and I get the chance to produce something original. It’s great to see something you’ve created from an artwork brief materialise. I love working on some of our own marketing projects for example, whether that’s our own promotional packaging – used to showcase what we can do as a company – or graphics for one of our trade show stands, I get the opportunity to use some imagination.”
Laura reflects on her decision to join Swanline. “Originally I thought it was a great opportunity to get some experience relevant to my degree and kickstart my career, but I found I loved working here. During my time at Swanline I’ve got married and had two wonderful children. Swanline has not only been a terrific support in that, but I’ve made friends for life here. My line manager, Rhod, has taught me a great deal over the years – he’s both experienced and knowledgeable, as are many of the team. The people here are fantastic, it’s a wonderful environment to work in.”
At home, Laura has a hectic family life, with one-year-old and three-year-old girls. She really enjoys cooking for the family as well as being interested in fitness and health. Most of all she enjoys spending time with her family, whether that’s evenings in or going away to Wales for the weekend.
The one piece of advice that Laura leaves us with is: “It’s a cliché but we really do only live once. Life is way too short, make sure you live it to the fullest.”
