024 PROFILE
but then I did go into a whole part of my career which was much more about the running of projects and the business side of it. So, all these things together put me into a good position of understanding what good design looks like and actually pushing it, making it thrive. And then also looking after teams both internally and externally. So these things together, they all work well and I work with a really good team.’ Repeatedly Jackson brings each job back to the importance of the other people involved and maintaining good teamwork, highlighting a core belief that both design and project work is not about one person. ‘It’s all about a massive team of people and everyone contributes,’ he says. ‘And that includes running a business. So with the [people] I have around me, the new leadership team that we’ve put in place, every one of those people is vital to making it all work. I might be there leading it and acting as a figurehead and making sure that we are doing everything in the right direction. But you know that everyone plays their part and that goes right down to every person doing the drawings. I am very excited about being in this role. It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind of fire the last six months but a very exciting whirlwind.’
Whilst it happened earlier than maybe
studio”. It felt like I’d just walked into somewhere very exciting. It’s almost like walking into a tech company that does design because it seemed like such a social place. And it’s almost been like that every day. I don’t think I’ve ever walked into BDG and thought “oh God, it’s another day at work”. It’s always quite exciting, every day feels fresh and I feel like the studio vibe is just one of the big attractions.’ He speaks with genuine enthusiasm about
BDG, which has high-profile clients including Sony Pictures, Lego and Sky, among others. With passion for the business, industry and a
keen desire for learning, one can suppose that its no-wonder he finds himself leading BDG. And that’s not mentioning his creative talents and abilities, which first caught the eye of his employer as an enthusiastic graduate, rising through the ranks from junior designer to CEO. One wonders what a young Jackson in Bristol would think if he knew he’d be taking charge one day?
‘I hope it would have happened. So it
may have just happened a little bit earlier than expected,’ he says. ‘I’ve spent a lot of parts of my career doing different things. I have spent a lot of time doing design and design direction,
expected, for Jackson, nevertheless, leading a business some midway through his career is a dream position and he credits the ‘incredible’ teams in London and New York. But BDG is not just an average day at the ofice, or an average business. He says: ‘I’ve worked for different businesses and each of these businesses taught me different lessons on how I can navigate things, make sense of all decisions, but also be innovative and looking forward with some dynamism. I would never want to be sitting in an average business. I’ve always wanted to be [part of] something that’s going to stand out as much as we can; something that is offering something different.’
Above One thing that Matt Jackson thinks is important about a successful workplace is its social environment
Left The Dojo at Brunel Building in Paddington, London, was designed by BDG and completed in 2023
ALL IMAGES: JEFFERSON SMITH
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