Name: Alana Crawley
Business: Purple Monster
Job role: Illustration and event design
Website: www.purplemonster.co.uk
Alana joined us in October 2010 as a 23-year-old. Despite excellent A-levels, she didn’t go to university due to family responsibilities, which she had undertaken uncomplainingly. We needed an office manager, and she was keen, professional and ready for the challenge.
We were just emerging from the recession and were a group of six people trying to re-establish our small creative company. We initially employed Alana on a small starting salary and, very quickly, it became clear that she was a person who had enormous potential and needed something to allow that potential to come to fruition. I remember asking her what she did in her spare time and she replied: “I like to go up to Edgehill with my dogs and sketchbook and draw.”
Four years on, we are 15 people, and Alana is one of two artists in our art department, which she founded three and a half years ago with a brief to expand the art capability of our creative consultancy. She designs, delivers and evaluates our visual work and is a highly respected and valued member of our team.
Earlier this year, Alana designed and organised an interactive wall that now adorns the head offices of a major UK organisation. She has enhanced our company’s reputation considerably, and we are now known as much for our holistic creative offer as for our drama-based work. This is in no small part down to her hard work, attitude, and seemingly inexhaustible talent.
Nominated by Ruth Arnold, creative designer and facilitator at Purple Monster
