In the final instalment of their Design Insight series for 2025, Alan Sawyers of AS Design looks back on a year of growth and why taking yourself out of your comfort zone has very much been the theme for each member of the team this year.
The past 12 months have been a period of significant growth for the team at AS Design.
And at the heart of that growth has been owner Alan and the team’s willingness to challenge themselves by stepping away from the everyday routines and putting themselves in scenarios that don’t necessarily come naturally to them.
Alan explains: “Our clients come to us because they know they’re not only getting a quality product, they’re getting strategic support that ensures every piece of work we do for them aligns to their own brand values.
“And that alone you could argue is good enough.
“But for myself, Josh, Nathan and Nic, that isn’t enough because we know we can always do more, and do it better.
“We’re ambitious and believe we can continue to grow, however to do that we have had to take ourselves out of our comfort zones and into situations that perhaps a couple of years ago would have seemed unimaginable.
“For example, I am a graphic designer and I am most comfortable behind my laptop bringing concepts to life. I wouldn’t usually put myself out there speaking at events or sitting on panels because it doesn’t come naturally to me. However, recently through our association with Durham University, I was asked to attend a neurodiversity event and be part of an expert panel talking about running a business and how being neurodivergent can impact the decisions you make and the processes I have introduced to manage this.
“When I was asked I said yes straight away, because even though it is out of my comfort zone, I realised what a great opportunity it was for me and my business.”
Alan is keen to point out that it isn’t just him who has challenged himself this year as part of the growth journey AS Design has been on.
He added: “Nathan, Josh and Nic have all really pushed themselves and done things that I know they wouldn’t have done when they first started.
“Nathan is now able to take much more client ownership. He is very confident, and understands the business well enough, that he can work with the clients directly without everything having to go through me. That’s such a big thing as it gives him independence and more responsibility, but also means I can focus my efforts where they are most needed.
“Josh attended an event recently on his own. I was supposed to be going but because of a client deadline, I had to decline. I wasn’t sure how he’d feel me not going, but he chose to go alone and really enjoyed it. I know walking into the event must have been daunting for him as it wasn’t something he’d ever done before, but he was great and said it gave him so much confidence.
“For Nic, it’s been more hands on with the business and more visible as well. Historically, he would be mainly home based as that was where he was comfortable, but over the past few months he has been coming into the office and being more involved with AS Design and the team which is great for him, and us as well.”
So after a year of winning new business across the region, and a willingness by all of the team to push themselves, what does 2026 have in store for AS Design?
Alan said: “More of the same I think. We’ve really added to our portfolio this year in terms of retained and project-driven clients, so I’d like to continue on that theme. We work with some fantastic businesses, innovators in their field, so I feel very privileged that AS Design is helping them continue to push boundaries and reach new audiences.”
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