Sheaf Design Works

Sheaf Design Works Design That Works™ | Design is a business tool. We make sure it works for you. | Strategy-first print + digital design

Have you ever had that feeling? ✨When you’re at an event that’s been beautifully thought through, planned and executed… ...
20/08/2026

Have you ever had that feeling? ✨
When you’re at an event that’s been beautifully thought through, planned and executed… and you just think WOW.

The Get Together by Helen Portman-Brookes Beauty Brands Connector is one of those events.

It's been so nice to work alongside founder and host Helen, sharing in the journey and watching the event grow organically into a beautiful community of beauty businesses.

July’s event was as brilliant as ever and I had the pleasure of being behind the camera too, a passion of mine since my A-Level darkroom days. 📷 There’s no better feeling of accomplishment than being in the room, seeing and feeling the energy 🥹😍

Shout out to fellow designer Brogan / Marketing for small businesses who was on hand capturing social content 🙌

And a huge well done to Helen, who’s also taking The Get Together to Glasgow on Monday. If you’re in the beauty industry, you must connect 🫶

I worked with Helen on her brand identities back in 2023 and ontonue to support her with creative direction, print and visuals every month. It's never just about creating a brand and handing over the files. It’s about creating partnerships and supporting clients as things grow and evolve.

If you’re looking for a creative partner to support your journey, get in touch. I’d love to hear about it ✨

I'm a designer, of course… and these are some of the qualities and quirks that make me the creative I am today 😅➡️💡 High...
19/08/2026

I'm a designer, of course… and these are some of the qualities and quirks that make me the creative I am today 😅➡️

💡 High idea generation
🔗 Making obscure connections
🔍 Obsessing over tiny details
🤔 Questioning the obvious
✨ Being endlessly curious

And after 22 years as a designer, I'm still constantly switched on, always analysing my surroundings and generally thinking about things far more than is probably necessary 😅

As a recently diagnosed ADHDer (the signs were always there!), I'm learning to embrace the chaos. So whilst I may lose my keys, start five things at once and become easily distracted by something out of the window… I also have a brain that's curious, creative, energetic, unconventional and very good at seeing possibilities.

Pretty useful traits, I'd say, for a designer and creative studio owner.

“It looks fine to me.” 👀Famous last words. 😅You see your business, your products, your ideas.You don’t necessarily see t...
11/08/2026

“It looks fine to me.” 👀
Famous last words. 😅

You see your business, your products, your ideas.

You don’t necessarily see the misalignment, the awkward spacing, the colour clashes, the questionable imagery, the missing call to action… or the “way too much in a small space where nothing at all is working.” 🧐

So, when I'm asked, “When should a business invest in design?”
My answer will always be: from the get-go.

Starting out with professional, purposeful design can get you from A to B far quicker than something that resembles the above ever will.

Because design is a business tool, after all. Look at it as an investment, not an expense.

Great design doesn’t just look good. It works hard for your business – building trust, increasing awareness and getting you noticed by the right people.

And if you do ask me whether your questionable design looks good, I’ll always tell you the truth:

“It’s not my favourite.”

You’re welcome. 😅

There’s something special about seeing so many local businesses, stories and places come together in one magazine 😍 And ...
07/08/2026

There’s something special about seeing so many local businesses, stories and places come together in one magazine 😍 And summer’s in full bloom across the region – perfectly showcased through the pages of Aroundtown Magazine ☀️🌸

This edition shines a spotlight on Pride of Yorkshire by Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS and Charity, 100 years of Beighton’s Joes Ices, Heritage Open Days plus brilliant independent businesses and places to explore 🦁🍦🔍🔦

Behind every page are local businesses, organisations and people doing great things – a project that always reminds us why we love what we do 🫶

20,000 copies hit the streets every two months, produced by the amazing Aroundtown team - four local businesswomen which I’m super proud to be part of 🙏 I love bringing their stories to life through thoughtful editorial and creative advert design 🤍

Covering everything from design and distribution to complete content creation. It’s a lot of work, but it goes to show what’s possible when the right people come together 🤝

That’s what makes Aroundtown so special. It’s about supporting the community and bringing it all together to share what makes this such a brilliant place to live, work and explore.

You can meet the team and discover more local stories over on the Aroundtown website.

Local stories. Local businesses. Local design. 🤍

Dazzling designer 👩🏼‍💻✨ It's what I am.From leaving school with the Creative Student of the Year 1999 award (I know, I s...
03/08/2026

Dazzling designer 👩🏼‍💻✨ It's what I am.

From leaving school with the Creative Student of the Year 1999 award (I know, I still like to think I'm in my twenties too 😅), to launching our design studio in 2018, thr journey has been intentional from the beginning.

I didn't stumble into design. I chose it, or rather, it chose me!

My Record of Achievementl, personal statement reads:
"I'm going to pursue an education and career in design. It's my passion, and I feel I can make a strong career utilising my creative skills."

Turns out, I wasn't wrong!

To end up in the career you dreamed of as a teenager, studied for and trained in is quite rare, yet here I am, 27 years later, still doing the work that lights me up and helping brilliant businesses grow through thoughtful, strategy-led design.

And whilst the design career journey has been linear, the business ownership journey, not so much 😅
Plenty of highs, lows and lessons. But after nearly three decades in the industry, I have the experience, confidence and creativity to deliver work that makes a real difference, and that is something I'm proud of (finally).

Which brings me back to this mug...

I've had my 'Dazzing Designwr' mug since I was 18 (just a coyplebof yeats 🫣) and it proudly declares I'm a:

100% qualified ✅
Imaginative ✅
Deadline-meeting ✅
All natural ✅ (ptetty sure my blood is made of CMYK, with Pantone 2671 as the reference❤️🎨)
🎨 Creative designer ✅

Still accurate after all these years.

Sometimes the teenager who knew exactly what she wanted grows up and does exactly that.

A great progression session today with Elliot of Example Marketing.Just like when we're working with our clients, when w...
29/07/2026

A great progression session today with Elliot of Example Marketing.

Just like when we're working with our clients, when we're planning for our own growth, we take a strategy-first approach. Today's session was all about making sure our own brand foundations are solid before we build on them.

And yes… we always practise what we preach 😅🙏

Revisiting our purpose, mission and values was a great reminder of why we do what we do ✨

We're here to change the way businesses think about design, moving it beyond something that simply looks good to something that works as a valuable business tool for growth.

By always taking a strategy-first approach, we create design with real purpose, because great design isn't just seen, it works.

What a magical Monday it was at The Get Together event ✨️🤍The event, exclusively for the beauty industry, always deliv...
22/04/2026

What a magical Monday it was at The Get Together event ✨️🤍

The event, exclusively for the beauty industry, always delivers a beautiful day of connecting and learning.

Loved 'The Beauty of the Brands' talk, reflecting on our relationships with brands we work with and use in our own businesses. I equally loved sampling the Beaury Brand Connectors portfolio of brands 🤍

🧴The fragrance of the products are devine, and I think I need to get me one of those UVP 50+ 👒

Proud and grateful to have Helen as one of our clients and always a pleasure to supply, socials, screens and Print for each event 🙏

So lovely to be part of this and catch up with everyone 😊


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