The Freelancer Life: Meet Rachel Le Mesurier

Meet Rachel, a Graphic Designer with a background in branding and packaging design, and the wonderful lady behind our very own Doers branding!

After years of working for other people, launching Lollipop Designs - a successful stationery and homeware brand, and a diagnosis of breast cancer, Rachel pressed pause. This difficult, but much needed time out, gave her the space she needed to think about what she really wanted to get from life and getting back to what she really loves – designing.

From this Rachel launched Lollipop Studio which allows her to use both her design skills and business know-how to help independent brands and small-medium business with all of their design and branding needs. She’s also an absolute joy to work with!

We talk to Rachel about launching a business after a health break, utilising all of your business skills and know-how, where she looks for design inspiration, how much can change for the best in a year and getting back to what you love to do.

“I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. It was 100% the best decision I ever made and I am loving working with other small brands – my clients are all so varied, every day is different and it is so satisfying seeing the positive impact my work has on their business”

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how long you have been doing it for.

Hello, I’m Rachel :-) I’m a graphic designer with a background in branding and packaging design. After working on the payroll for various ‘big’ agencies and in-house for an FMCG brand, I went freelance almost 18 years ago. For the past 10 years I also ran my own creative product-based brand Lollipop Designs designing and producing stationery and homewares – I closed this side of the business and relaunched as Lollipop Studio in 2019.

Lollipop Studio helps independent brands and small/medium businesses with their design and branding needs – I work on everything and anything from re-brands to complete new visual identity for start ups to packaging design, websites, print, social media templates and ongoing day-to-day design support.

Why did you first set up Lollipop Studio?

What started as a side-line (designing and selling stationery) over the years became an all-consuming enterprise managing a busy studio of five, and much of my time was taken up with the logistics of running the business ‘machine’ - there was very little time left for the bit I really loved – designing! And then I got ill with breast cancer and I was forced to hit the pause button with a year of treatment which gave me time to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. I realised I wanted to focus again on graphic design and with my experience running my own product-based business I was perfectly placed to help other small businesses with not just their branding – but so much more... I knew what was needed for a press pack, how to get a product to market, clever packaging solutions and so on... I had also built up a huge network of suppliers over the years that I could share.

Where do you go to get inspired when working on new designs?

When I’m working on new designs I can find myself going into a bit of a distracted state and become hyper aware of every little visual detail around me – a scrumped up piece of paper on the pavement, colours on a cereal packet, shape of shadows and so on – anything might trigger an idea. I devour art books, magazines, exhibitions, allow myself to fall into a Pinterest black hole and then take a long bath where often inspiration comes to me ...luckily this state only lasts a day or two max because I become completely useless at life and drive my family crazy!

A selection of stationery products from Lollipop Designs (photo: Yeshen Venema stylist: Clare Nicolson)

Share your struggles - what do you find hardest about working for yourself?

Time management and never really switching off, cash flow and no one to share business decisions with ... and now that I’m back working on my own from home I really miss the studio banter.

Share your perks - what do you enjoy most about working for yourself?

The flexibility of being able to work around my kids and not really having to answer to anyone else is definitely a huge perk – if there is a class assembly I don’t have to miss it, if I want to catch up with friends for mid-week coffee or visit an exhibition I can!

What are your top tips for anyone thinking about working for themselves?

Research, plan, set yourself clear boundaries – there are some great online courses to help you work out how, what, when to start working for yourself which I think I would have found super helpful all those years ago when I first set out on my own (Annie Ridout and Sarah Akwisombe’s No Bull Business School are good ones to look up)

“When I’m working on new designs I can find myself going into a bit of a distracted state and become hyper aware of every little visual detail around me – a scrumped up piece of paper on the pavement, colours on a cereal packet, shape of shadows and so on – anything might trigger an idea”

What are your top 3 recommendations and sources of inspiration?

Online magazine Creative Boom is still one of my faves – bursting with inspiration, interesting articles, helpful resources and visual treats
Listen to french radio station Fip (thanks to Yeshen Venema for this tip as I first heard it playing in his studio) such good tunes to work to
I love Emily Forgot’s work and her instagram feed is one of my all time favourites – check out her hashtag #museandmakerfinds @emilyforgot

What role does collaboration play for you?

For me collaboration is essential - it’s what I missed most when designing my own products and what I love most about working with clients now. Listening, absorbing new ideas, creatively bouncing off each other. With almost every project it involves not only a collaboration with the client – but with other creatives too – from copywriters to photographers to specialist printers. I regularly collaborate with Yeshen from One Day Web to create websites (like we did for The Doers) with his SquareSpace skills and my graphics – it’s a great combo!

What is the best project you’ve worked on since setting up Lollipop Studio?

Well of course The Doers re-brand is up there with the best!!! It was the first project after my year off and I really could not have asked for a lovelier project to get stuck in to.

I have recently been working with Savoir Beds on various ongoing design projects – including some illustration work which is a bit out of my normal comfort zone – but so happy with the final results. They are the most incredible brand with such a history – their beautiful beds are all handmade to order here in London and Wales.

I can’t not mention the brilliant POP Bakery – they have been a client for many years and Clare always blows me away with her talent – she is more an artist than a baker (although those POPs taste damn good!!) We have been working together on a new e-commerce version of her website with new branding and creating a whole new gift packaging system – it’s all getting very close to being ready to go – it’s been a huge project and I’m super proud of it!

What were you doing this time last year? What have you learnt or how have you changed since then?

This time last year I was just coming to the end of my treatment - chemo and radiotherapy had left me feeling pretty knackered and very bald with seriously dodgy eyebrows (still not recovered those!!) I was still having regular afternoon naps and had only just got to the final season of Mad Men! Amazing how quickly the body recovers though and after a few months my energy levels were pretty much back to normal. I was left with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the NHS and being alive! Having decided to close the product-based business and sell off the stock (whilst raising a tidy sum for Maggie’s in process) I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. It was 100% the best decision I ever made and I am loving working with other small brands – my clients are all so varied, every day is different and it is so satisfying seeing the positive impact my work has on their business.

Check out Rachel’s design work on her website lollipop-studio.co.uk and follow her on Instragram @lollipopdesigns