I'm Daniel Hitchen

**Awarded Employee of the Year 2024**

Distant Journeys are specialists in escorted touring holidays, offering once-in-a-lifetime adventures across the globe. With carefully designed tours and a strong focus on customer experience, they’re all about delivering unforgettable travel moments – something that’s reflected in everything they do, from award-winning service to the passion of their on-the-ground teams.

I joined Distant Journeys as Creative Manager, becoming the first full-time creative in the (then small) in-house Marketing Team. The goal was to bring more of the company’s creative work in-house and reduce reliance on external suppliers – and with my background in print, brochure production, and process integration, I was excited to take on the challenge.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve helped shape how the team – and the wider business – operates creatively. We’ve introduced smarter systems, streamlined our workflows, and laid the foundations for scalable, consistent design as the company grows and expands its portfolio of tours and destinations.

Some of the work I’ve been directly involved in includes:

• Designing and producing over 20 brochures
• Creating assets for numerous direct marketing campaigns, including mini brochures, inserts, roll-folds, leaflets, and show banners, to name but a few
• Producing videos – including the company’s first-ever TV advert
• Designing a wide range of email and social media graphics
• Helping implement core systems like Hygraph (headless CMS) and Aprimo (DAM), aligning our website and brochure content through a single, central source
• Spearheading the development of an InDesign plugin that connects to a live API, allowing us to automatically populate brochure content and dramatically speed up production
• Playing a key role in the company’s brand refresh (currently ongoing)
• Heavily involved in the design and development of the new company website (currently ongoing), supporting UX, layout, and creative direction

Thanks to the impact of this work, I was incredibly proud to be named Employee of the Year in 2024 – a real honour and a great reflection of the progress we’ve made as a team since I joined.

LPPA (Local Pensions Partnership Administration) looks after the pensions of over 600,000 members from around 1,900 employers — including those in local government, the police, and fire services. They were part of the LPP Group and worked to four key values: working together, being committed to excellence, forward thinking, and doing the right thing. It was all about helping and supporting their members and employers as best they could.

I was proud to be the first full-time creative in LPPA’s Engagement Team. It was a great opportunity to shape the brand, improve the look and feel of their communications, and streamline how things worked across different channels.

Here’s a snapshot of the kind of work I was involved in:

• Brand design and development
• Website design and development (WordPress & Umbraco)
• Designing and building email campaigns
• Creating quarterly reports for 18 clients
• Video editing and animation
• Print design
• Graphics for digital and social media
• Managing and creating assets — including images, logos, templates, forms, and interactive PDFs
• Supporting the Engagement Team and sharing my knowledge of tools and systems
• Introducing better processes to make workflows smoother and more efficient

It was a varied role, and that’s what I loved about it — there was always something new to get stuck into, and I was able to make a real difference in how the organisation communicated and connected with people.

• Studio Manager (2014–2020)
• Senior Designer (2008–2014)
• Designer (2004–2008)
• Junior Designer (2002–2004)

Reason for leaving: Redundancy due to administration

I spent over 17 years at Shearings Holidays, starting out as a Junior Designer and working my way up to Studio Manager. Being part of the in-house design studio for such a long time gave me a deep understanding of both creative leadership and hands-on design. It was a fast-paced, high-pressure environment with tight deadlines — but also incredibly rewarding.

The studio was responsible for the full creative output of Shearings Holidays, as well as a number of other SLG (Specialist Leisure Group) brands, including Bay Hotels, Coast & Country Hotels, Country Living Hotels, Wallace Arnold Travel, and SportingBreaks.com.

In my later roles as Senior Designer and Studio Manager, I was responsible for:

• Motivating, mentoring, and developing the design team
• Managing the day-to-day studio workflow across multiple brands
• Liaising with internal departments and external partners
• Ensuring deadlines were consistently met, even under pressure
• Introducing new tools and systems (like Trello, GoProof, and Censhare) to improve efficiency
• Evolving and refreshing the Shearings brand each year, incorporating trends and customer feedback

I also played a hands-on role in a wide variety of creative projects, including:

• Brochure design and production
• Advertising for national and regional press and magazines
• Direct marketing campaigns
• Web design and development
• Email and digital media campaigns
• Brand design and development

During my time there, I collaborated with a wide range of partners, such as:

• Hearst Magazines (including Country Living)
• Multiple print houses, media, PR, and design agencies
• Software and systems providers
• Wigan Warriors RLFC

It was a hugely formative part of my career — challenging at times, but filled with opportunities to grow, lead, and push the creative work forward.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide range of local clients and businesses based in and around the Wigan area — and even a few as far away as Jersey. These projects give me the chance to apply my skills across a variety of creative disciplines and industries.

The work I’m involved in includes:

• Brand design and development
  Logos, letterheads, and business cards
• Website design and builds
  Including domain setup, hosting, and content management systems
• Print design
  Flyers, brochures, advertising, corporate info packs, and pull-up banners
• Digital and social media graphics
• Arranging and organising photoshoots
• Weddings and receptions
  Invitations, menus, seating plans, and table decorations

I really enjoy meeting with clients, getting to know their goals, and working closely with them to make sure the final result hits the mark. Clear communication and a collaborative approach are always at the heart of what I do.

Working freelance continues to teach me a lot — including how to:

• Adapt quickly to new challenges and different working environments
• Manage my time and projects independently
• Stay friendly, flexible, and professional
• Earn trust by consistently delivering high-quality work on time

I also do my best to support other local creatives — from print houses to photographers and fellow designers — to help bring each project to life.

Freelancing remains a really rewarding part of my work, and I’m proud of the long-standing relationships I’ve built along the way.