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Who am I?

Creative Director / Novira + VenueNow

I joined Chris Smith at Close Communications after working with him on various projects as a freelancer. We started off with an order-ahead matchday app for Cardiff Blues Rugby Club.

Shortly after (some investment) I was promoted to Creative Director and we reinvented ourselves as CloseComms, where we developed the order-ahead app Q-Jumper for the Grand National at Aintree with Carling Lager, and for The Republic of Extra Cold festival in South Africa with Castle Lager. Soon the focus turned to app engagement, then after an unexpected encounter with a large franchisee of Subway in California we pivoted to the QSR app, trials with major QSRs followed including McDonalds in South Africa, Burger King in New York and Subway in California, the subsequent contract with Subway came after many years of hard work. Learn more here.

We then rebranded the QSR app to 21:32 – the result of a fantastic 12-week MVP programme with Future Kings that I participated in with our CEO and COO. We then pivoted to new applications in the Nano Battery and EV space with mPhase in California, who became mPower, and then became Pebble, but that’s another story.

Since CloseComms Chris Smith launched VenueNow where I am the Creative Director, we are currently developing a new Stadium app and a Parking app called ParkBunny [view the project]. I also still work with Anshu Bhatnagar, since mPhase he has launched Novira Technologies, a fully international entity focused on sustainability AI solutions to real-world problems [read more here].

My Graphics History

My love for graphics stems from the Amiga A500, I made my own sprites using Deluxe Paint to replace in games, we were a ‘hacking group’ called The Fifth Dimension, I went by Crazy Legs, or was it Pixel? Once in the 80s we went to an old school copy-party in London when I was 15, this is what it took to get the latest ‘warez’ pre-internet.

During college I discovered apps Photoshop and Corel Draw (eventually switching to Illustrator, obvs). After College I spent years in graphics departments within Merchant Banks and Marketing Agencies all over the City and West End of London. This led me to a weekend stint at J Walter Thompson Ad Agency working on a Jaguar campaign, I loved it, the following week they offered me a full-time position and I took it.

I really learnt the art of presentation at Thompsons, and a whole lot more, I worked in the Studio on some fantastic campaigns and new business projects with some serious talent. It’s where I met Mike Strudwick and Simon Thompson who are responsible for the original Digby Fox logotype and fox face. Pitch decks were my main jam, I got to see all the new ideas for every company we pitched to, winners or losers I learned something from them.

After living in London for over a decade I returned to Newport in South Wales and set up on my own as Digbyfox Design, before joining Chris Smith on his Proximity Marketing quest, which has since turned into so much more.

Exactly what is a Digbyfox?

Back in the 90’s and 00’s I spent many years as an underground club DJ, initially with dodgy names like Ren & Stimpy (I was Stimpy) and even Warren G, then I was asked by my friend Esther what my porn star name was; first pet followed by your mother’s maiden name – and Digby Fox was born!

I spent about 10 years as a DJ spinning hip-hop, breaks and house all over the UK (even some international gigs!). I also ran a few nights with my friend Daddy Rich; learn more here.

The other half of my gigs were with an outfit called Skeewiff, I joined as their DJ around ’96, when they were on Ministry of Sound’s FSUK label, now they have their own Jalapeno Records. I had a great time with Alex and Elliott, and spun with them all over London, the UK, in Switzerland and Canada too, top lads. They had some commercial success under the name Shaft, with the no. 2 hit (damn you Lou Bega!) Mucho Mambo (Sway), they made a great fun music video which I got to be a part of.

I haven’t spun in a club for some time now, last stint was a 4-hour set at Revolution Bar in Newport (flats now 😭). But I still have the decks, I still love the music, and the moniker – so I kept it – except now I write it as one word.

Adventures in Crypto

I’ve worked closely with my friend and colleague Stephen Draycott at CrytpoBuild and Bitcoin Wales for many years, ever since he introduced me to Bitcoin. We are currently working on a very exciting project called View, more on that soon.

To see some of my design work in the crypto world check it out here.

Crypto Projects
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