Thoughtful design, playful illustration

I'm a Manchester-based designer and illustrator making work that's bold, engaging and built to connect. With over 10 years' experience across branding, campaigns, illustration and digital design, I create work that's both strategic and full of personality.

Design
Illustration

What I bring

Starting out in marketing and communications before retraining in design means I see the bigger picture alongside the finer details. I don't just think about how something looks, I think about how it lands with the people who'll actually see it.

That means whether I'm building a brand identity, designing a Squarespace website, creating illustrations for editorial or campaigns, or developing work for children's publishing and licensing, you get someone who brings both creative energy and a genuine understanding of how design and illustration work in the real world.

Services

A bit more about me

My route here wasn't exactly straightforward, but looking back it makes perfect sense. I always had a pencil in my hand as a kid, forever drawing, and art was my thing all the way through to A-level. Then life took over. I started out as a production runner at the BBC, moved into marketing and events, then retrained in design at Shillington College, and somewhere along the way the drawing just stopped. I'd convinced myself that I couldn’t anymore.

Then lockdown happened. I finally picked up the Apple Pencil I'd been given for my 30th birthday, and something clicked back into place. What followed was a proper head-over-heels fall into illustration and the joy of telling stories through images. Children's books in particular got their hooks into me quickly, and honestly it's become a bit of an obsession.

For a long time I kept illustration and design as separate parts of my practice, but I'm done doing that. Both are part of who I am creatively, and bringing them together is exactly what NOD Studio is about.

When I'm not at my desk, you'll find me running art sessions at my kids' school, exploring galleries, getting my hands into clay, or diving headfirst into whatever new hobby has caught my eye.

If you've got a project in mind, I'd love to hear about it.

Get in touch

Awards & recognition

Fresh Awards

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The Drum Awards

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Webby

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Creative Review Annual

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Brand Impact Awards

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Lovie Awards

Fresh Awards ✳︎ The Drum Awards ✳︎ Webby ✳︎ Creative Review Annual ✳︎ Brand Impact Awards ✳︎ Lovie Awards

  • “Working with Nicki on my branding and website has been an absolute dream. She perfectly combines creativity and her own vision with a brilliant understanding of the brief, all the time while being extremely organised and timely. I love my new logo and have had so many comments on my website.”

    Liz
    Liz Scott PR

  • “Nicki is a talented designer and created a website for the Network that is visually appealing, polished and professional.”

    Emma Layfield
    Children’s Books North Network

  • “Nicki created a strong branding identity for the Agency with a carefully curated colour palette. She ensured branding consistency across an easy to navigate website with clear messaging.”

    Emma Layfield
    Children’s Books North Agency

  • “Nicki has helped us with our business right from the start. She created a fantastic logo, put together a great website, and produced eye catching artwork for our recent cocktail deliveries. As well as this we have some great looking business cards which we love handing out! Her attention to detail is incredible, and she has created work for us that exceeded our expectations! We highly recommend. Thanks Nicki!”

    Leanne Matthews
    The Drunken Mare

  • “Nicki was extremely helpful from the get go. I literally had no idea in mind for my business look. Nicki was extremely creative and took full flow of ideas, for which I was thankful for. The outcome was by far beyond my expectations, she was fantastic and totally brought the look and feel I was expecting for my new little business venture. Even when I had tweaks to the outcome, she was willing to work with my vision and always had my best interest at heart. Thank you very much Nicki!”

    Laura Hughes
    Aura Dawn Hair & Beauty

  • “Wow, talk about someone reading your mind! Nicki was able to take my garbled ideas and values of what I envisaged for my branding and created the perfect logo and design - it was exactly what I wanted without me knowing what I wanted! Fantastic communication and the whole process was a breeze! Thanks so much Nicki! I’ve had lots of lovely comments since relaunching with the new branding!”

    Steph Bartle
    Clear Skin Clear Conscience

  • “Nicki was great to work with. She helped me to get to a logo and branding that I absolutely love. She was great at offering her thoughts and ideas once she had the brief and completely understood my business model and the overall look I was going for.”

    Nicola Blake
    MadJack Consultancy

  • “I highly recommend Nicki. She recently designed a logo for my aesthetics business. She has a skill in asking the right questions, which resulted in a logo that perfectly reflected my business ethos. She is also friendly, professional and time efficient. Thanks again Nicki, I love my logo.”

    Claire Milton
    Dr Claire Milton Aesthetics

  • “I highly recommend the creative skills and professionalism of Nicki O’Donoghue. She worked with us to create a logo that is memorable and encompasses the ethos of my business. The design and colours she created for us have totally refreshed and modernised the look of my company.”

    Guy Ward
    Mobberley Road Dental Clinic

  • "Working with Nicki was a brilliant experience. She really took the time to understand my business, and was able to bring this to life with a branding package and logo design which really captured everything I was hoping to communicate to my clients. She was also super responsive to any questions or suggestions I had. Thank you so much for your fantastic work Nicki!"

    Lauren Atherton
    Pine Banks Psychology