13-year-old Reuben Trigwell is a student at King Ethelbert School with a very keen eye for graphic design.
The promising graphic designer has already produced some fantastic sporting mock-ups for local football clubs which he has uploaded via his social media channels. With a career path in mind, Reuben Trigwell spoke to us in depth about his current work and future goals.
What do you enjoy most about graphic design and when did you realise you have a passion for the subject?
I enjoy working with everything computers, and since I was young, I’ve always had a thing for digital artwork. I think it all began when I tried being a YouTuber and had to create thumbnails for my videos. They weren’t very good but I enjoyed it as I could make my visions come true. As for football designs, I believe I started them around October 2023, I was looking at some designs from my favourite football teams like Ramsgate, and Arsenal and realised that some of the designs could do with a bit of touching up, so I tried it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
You have created some wonderful football club designs, how long do these take you and have you ever received feedback from any of the clubs you have reached out to?
On average these designs take me about an hour as I have to find images of the players and think about how I want it to look. After that, I work around some things to see what fits and then all the visions come flooding in and I manage to create some pretty cool designs! As for feedback, I am yet to receive any messages directly from clubs but I have recently made a 40 goals poster for a Ramsgate player and he liked the tweet, that’s about as far as it goes.
Do you have a long-term plan over the next 5-10 years that you would like to accomplish?
Within the next decade or half, I would like to have improved my designs quite significantly and also have worked with some clubs or players, so they can post the artwork to their social media channels. Furthermore, I would like to generate enough money to purchase Adobe Photoshop, as I am currently using a free version – Photopea.
What would be your dream job?
When I get older, it would be a dream to work for one of the top clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern, etc. I also wouldn’t mind working for some lower-league clubs like Gillingham or Burton Albion. Finally, I would enjoy working for some top-end media companies like OneFootball or 433. I am also considering starting my own media company and creating designs that can be used to show the latest football news.
From your great designs, has there been a favourite you have club enjoyed working on the most and, if so, why?
I have quite enjoyed making collections for Ramsgate and Arsenal as I support both those teams. I feel like if I create Ramsgate FC content, then I can get more recognised as the smaller clubs are more likely to see my tweets. But of course, I have a passion for the career, so I enjoy making designs for any club.
How can readers keep up to date with your designs via social media?
At home, you can see my designs on my socials linked below. I post all my designs there, and I can take special requests!
Twitter – @reuben_graphics
TikTok – @reubens_graphics
Instagram – @reubens_graphics
Away from graphics, what do you enjoy most about living in Thanet?
In Thanet, I love how my friends and I can have a great time and go pretty much anymore we want in Thanet. We travel to football matches to watch Ramsgate and we just go out and about and everyone’s friendly. It’s really great living here. I also love how close the beach is, most people living in London don’t get the luxury of having the coast right on their doorstep so it’s fantastic!