Small Business Spotlight: meet the man behind ROCKET STEPS

Meet the wonderful John, an incredibly talented local artist and much valued member of the network. You can see some of his work HERE and find his website here: https://rocketsteps.co.uk/

Could you tell me more about your design studio? What makes it special?

Sure. Rocket Steps is me. I guess you’d call it a micro business. I’m proudly hands-on and pull in other creatives when needed on a project-by-project basis. It’s all dictated by what the client needs. This keeps the whole process super lean and flexible. Oh, and I’ve been around since 2008.

How did you get into illustration?

I’ve drawn since I was a kid and was known on the indie comic scene for a short while. I had my artwork displayed in an exhibition alongside Batman once, true! As I got deeper into graphic art I became fascinated by the practical side of telling stories with images, which is what led me into marketing and design illustration.

Do you have any advice for budding artists?

Yes, just chatted to some budding artists at the Manchester Studio (GRIT on Deansgate). Might sound counter-intuitive but my advice would be to specialise in a style, but also be flexible, and have another skill under your belt. Diversity in skills is important.

How can people work with you / buy from you?

The best way is to jump on a zoom call or grab a coffee. Love to hear about what folks have achieved, and how I can help them really smash the next level of what they want.

I cover the regular needs that agencies provide such as websites and graphics, then specialise into motion graphics, illustration and animated videos, where I use my background in comedy writing to help tell the story of place and the person. It’s about making people’s companies look ace, without blowing the budget.

What do you most want people to know about what you do?

I guess the flexibility side of it. I really do strive to to meet folks where they are on things like budget so they can be the heroes of their own business journey.