I’m Richard Portman, a highly experienced, frequently waistcoated, hands-on graphic design director specialising in retail marketing for global brands - from concept through to refined 3D visualisation. Living and working in London, I’m partial to coffee and a biscuit or two. Three.

Disclaimer This site was built using Squarespace. Great platform, but it does have a tendency to add unwanted typographic widows and orphans. {sigh}

 
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Effective point of sale starts with understanding the customer journey. With years of strategy-driven experience, I’ve created shopper touchpoints for global brand toolkits that work hard in-store. A genuine passion for the retail space helps enormously too.

 
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HTC SMARTPHONE LAUNCH
Brief: After winning the BTL account, we were tasked with developing a full suite of temporary and permanent retail marketing materials to support the market launch of the HTC M8. Solution: We produced a comprehensive retail toolkit, however I reworked the concept as a personal project, building a single-minded visual approach to demonstrate how the in-store presence could be further enhanced.


CENTRUM MULTIVITAMINS
Brief: Bring Centrum's refreshed brand to life in-store while ensuring strong visual engagement. Solution: Collaborating closely with the US client at Tag Worldwide, we designed a retail toolkit grounded in research. We pre-tested all materials using heat-mapping technology to validate customer attention prior to the final launch.

L’OR CAPSULE LAUNCH
Brief: L'Or needed a flexible way to launch their new aluminium capsule promotion across diverse global markets with contrasting store environments. Solution: At Tag Worldwide, we developed a scalable retail toolkit. By organizing the touchpoints into clear gold, silver, and bronze tiers, we gave local markets customisable promotional materials to fit their specific retail spaces and customers.

 
 
 

From initial scamps to photographic art direction and final layouts, I’ve designed countless publications. Whether printed, digital, large or small, they have to earn their keep. Proven commercial principles are applied to every layout. The design isn’t just attractive, it works hard to drive sales.

 
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ERNEST JONES WATCH COLLECTION PITCHES
At Complete Customer Communications, I designed concepts for Ernest Jones, pitching for their annual watch collection publication. We proudly won back-to-back pitches. I’m a fan of watches, so being surrounded by expensive timepieces art directing 2 week photoshoots was a treat.


MEDITERIA
The founder of Mediteria briefed me to upgrade his publication to match the high quality ingredients he supplied to Michelin starred restaurants. The signature drizzled graphic, tied the publication together with the opulent food photography.

BANG & OLUFSEN
A personal project exploring the graphic representation of sound waves to make distinctive front cover designs for Bang & Olufsen audio equipment brochures. And being Bang & Olufsen, only a finely crafted presentation box will do.

GRESHAM BLAKE
An indulgent twist, reflecting one of the more subversive Savile Row tailors. Inspired by their graphic use of printed fabric, I took their online look book and visualised into the ‘real world’ with an opulent hardback book and presentation case.

JOHN LEWIS
Having designed many publications for John Lewis, a timeless simplicity and elegant approach was applied to each piece. All aspects of production fell to us individually in the team. From scamping shots, model casting, art direction to designing and artworking the final publications.

 
 
 

Having won the Royal Society of Arts & Manufacturers Award for packaging, I’ve always had a real affection for the medium. There’s something particularly satisfying about seeing your work on the shelf in store. And even more so when it ends up in customers’ baskets.

 
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WAITROSE HONEY PACKAGING
For this own-brand honey range, provenance leads the design. Each variety’s origin is illustrated through topographic map lines, with coordinates marked on the lid, and a hero letter shaped by typographic influences from its region.


JOHN LEWIS WOODEN TOY PACKAGING
A project to overhaul internal packaging landed after the regional, historical  branch names were rebranded to John Lewis department stores. The old ‘Mischief’ brand was therefore retired, however this concept blends the playful palette of Mischief, with the familiar John Lewis logo.

CRAFT BEER LABEL CONCEPT
Despite being teetotal, it hasn’t deterred me from the packaging for alcoholic drinks. The emergence of craft beers really lifted the lid on creative execution with their quirky names and brand positioning. I enjoyed playing with high contrast swirls, detailed illustrations and playful typography. Where else can you show a dog wearing a helmet?

 
 
 

Designing a new identity is always an exciting process. It starts with asking the right questions and getting under the skin of the brand. What does it stand for and what makes it tick? I love a bit of storytelling too, occasionally hiding a visual easter egg for the observant. For some clients it’s a global business. For others, it’s one person’s long-held daydream brought to life.

 
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ZOE BROWNE COPY & CONTENT
Having produced freelance design work for Zoe Browne’s US clients, it was her turn to have a new identity. The approach was as friendly and approachable as Zoe herself. The palette was inspired by her San Diego home, while the letter O’s in her name were converted into speech bubbles, representing her copy and content work.


BAKE ME A GIFT
A business partnership I’d previously worked with asked me to help design an identity for their new venture, “Bake Me A Gift.” Brownies were delivered to customers in bespoke gift cards, which needed designing too... all 76 of them!

JAMES KAY ARCHITECT
In launching James Kay Architects Limited, I was briefed to design an identity reflecting the values of its founder. Simple, contemporary architecture consistently delivered. The timeless approach to the logo’s design is designed to outlast trends and fads, matching his approach to architecture

CANON PRO
We were briefed at Tag Worldwide to redesign Canon’s pro-dealer network identity as their previous version only referenced camera equipment. This selected route was an adaption of their customer facing frame device, maintaining the Canon brand look.

SHOP AT TAG
Creating Tag’s retail division meant shaping its identity from the ground up. The Shop logo, inspired by the traditional hanging sign, set the tone. A simple retail cue that anchored the brand. From there, the wider identity flowed naturally, extending that familiar sign language into a cohesive and distinctive visual system.