Based in Wrexham, Catrin Design was launched in 2018 by Catrin Ellis. Having graduated from the North Wales School of Art and Design, Glyndwr University, Catrin is a multi-disciplined graphic designer and illustrator.
Following attendance at a number of business and start-up workshops, delivered by the Welsh Government’s Business Wales service, Catrin decided to take the plunge and start on her own.
She has been running Catrin Design full-time since 2018 and is based at the Business Wales Wrexham Enterprise Hub, producing a variety of work as diverse as branding, graphics and motion design as well as offering many other design services including web design, digital art, print design and illustrations.
What they did
“I attended the 5-9 Club at the [Business Wales] Wrexham Enterprise Hub every Thursday for 12 weeks. After the programme was finished, I realised I wanted to work for myself and create work that made me happy. The staff at the Hub helped me a lot after I left my full-time job and decided to go full-time on my own last summer.”
What would they do differently
#NoRegrets
Their proudest moment in business
“What makes me really proud is when I complete a job and hand over everything to a happy client!”
Do they use Welsh in their business? If so, how has this helped them
“Yes, I am a fluent Welsh speaker and I believe I can reach more clients by communicating some of my marketing and promotional messages through the medium of Welsh.”
Describe the type of support (financial / non-financial) they’ve received from Business Wales / Welsh Government
Catrin, member at the Wrexham Enterprise Hub, said: “I’ve attended many Business Wales workshops delivered at the hub. I think that they have all helped me in different ways. In particular, I found the Wrexham Enterprise Hub’s 5-9 Club especially beneficial as it covers the basics of everything you need to know to start your business.”
Top Tips
Here are Catrin’s top tips for anyone else looking to start or grow their own business:
- start
- ask questions
- take advantage of the workshops Business Wales offer