M&S — Sophie Rowson Design Portfolio

Corporate Affairs Design Manager

Marks & Spencer

[January 2022 - Present]

Purpose and objectives of the role:

As the Corporate Design Manager within the Corporate Affairs team, I translate M&S's business strategy, corporate purpose, and transformation goals into premium, high-impact visual communications. Sitting at the intersection of corporate reputation and creative execution, I ensure the M&S brand remains consistent, modern, and compelling across all internal and external touchpoints

Main duties and responsibilities:

Lead the development and execution of the corporate visual identity, ensuring consistency across all internal and external communications.
Establish and enforce brand governance frameworks, developing guidelines, templates and standards adopted across the business.
Define and deliver the visual design strategy, aligning creative outputs with brand positioning and wider business objectives.
Oversee end-to-end delivery of design projects, from concept through to execution, ensuring quality, consistency and timeliness.
Advise internal and external creative resource (designers, agencies and freelancers), providing direction and maintaining high standards.
Partner with cross-functional teams including marketing, communications, and HR to ensure alignment between visual identity and strategic messaging.
Maintain and optimise a centralised library of brand assets, improving accessibility and consistency across teams.
Introduce innovative design approaches and tools, ensuring the brand remains current and competitive.
Lead quality assurance across design outputs, ensuring compliance with brand standards and accuracy across all materials.
Led the adoption and optimisation of Monday.com across the Corporate Affairs function, improving project visibility, workflow consistency and cross-team collaboration.