It's time for the second instalment of our new 'Meet the Team' series!

For those just joining us; each month we're sitting down for a quick chit-chat with a beloved member of the Paperclip family.

Today we're saying hello to Millie, our Head of Design. Millie joined us a couple of years ago and has been making the app, our blog and our socials, look beautiful ever since...

Hey Millie! Introduce yourself to the Blogosphere...

Hi there. I'm Millie and I'm the Head of Design here at Paperclip!

Can you tell us a little about your journey? How long have you been here and what did you do before joining PCHQ?

I have been at Paperclip for about 2 years now. Funny story - I did a Trump impression in my interview, it was a bit unorthodox.. but I’m glad it landed well and here I am today! Both before and alongside working for Paperclip, I have worked on design for change campaigns, I guess they would be called ‘passion projects’.

Sounds interesting! Can you tell us a little more?

During the Pandemic, I created a campaign called ‘Skin Colour is not a Symptom’. After hearing that members of the Asian community were getting both verbally and physically attacked due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, I created this mask and photographed Christina (model) wearing it to highlight how incredibly awful and wrong this is and remind people that Skin Colour is not a Symptom. @feminist, an Instagram page with a following of over 6.5 million people, shared and collaborated with me on content relating to this - it was a great feeling knowing that this important message had reached such a wide audience, and hopefully influenced people in a positive way.

That's so cool! So when you're not breaking the Internet, can you tell us what you get up to on a typical day?

I get up, make myself a fresh cuppa then I’m ready to crack on with work for the day. My work days tend to be completely different to one another, sometimes I will be working on UX designs for updates of our App and Website (there are some exciting ones along the way that I can’t talk about just yet). Other days will involve working on campaigns, displays, photography, social media posts - the list goes on! Last week I was over in Warwick at a photoshoot, this week I have been working alongside Nicole (our talented junior designer) on elements for a display for an exciting upcoming launch….

So what do you like most about working at Paperclip?

The team at Paperclip are so easy to get along with, something that I’ve found to be very important when working from home. Our Google Meet socials are always great fun - last time we did 2 truths and a lie, which was very eye-opening…

Indeed it was, but I think some things are best left off the blog! So what are the core values that drive you?

I have a passion for designing for change, and Paperclip perfectly fits in with this. I love the idea of a circular economy, buying second hand and renting items from others rather than contributing to over-consumption. I am constantly thinking of ways that we can intertwine having minimal impact on the environment with everything that I design, so wherever possible I make sure that we use repurposed materials for physical outcomes.P

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working? 

My house is a bit of a jungle, so watering and re-potting some of my houseplants usually takes up a bit of time each week! I play a couple of sports too - I’m a GA (goal attack) or WA (wing attack) in Netball and have just started kick-boxing. I started kick-boxing mainly so I can feel safe walking home on my own at night, it’s been great fun though and fab for fitness so it’s a win-win-win!

Can you tell us one thing most people don’t know about you?

I’m a biiiiiig DIYer - I’ll get inspired by something on Instagram or Pinterest and instead of buying it I’ll try and make it myself! I started doing macrame during the first lockdown (making plant holders of course), which then became crocheting, which then became pottery, then starting sewing and altering my own clothes. And now I’m planning on making my own floor rug…

And finally, tell us about your dream holiday?

I’ve always wanted to try scuba diving, so I think I’d go to Australia to see the great barrier reef. I figure that as around 70% of the earth is water, surely I should try and see at least a little part of it (I’d ideally like to avoid any sharks though).

That does indeed sound dreamy! Thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat, Mills.

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