About the Shed.
design.shed is the design practice of Sarah Underwood, a seasoned freelance designer operating from her garden studio, affectionately known as "the shed," in Leeds, UK. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Sarah has honed her expertise in developing compelling national campaigns, crafting distinctive branding, designing effective shopper campaigns, and producing engaging social content.
Her approach to design is rooted in an understanding of communication and visual storytelling. Sarah collaborates closely with clients to ensure that every project reflects their unique vision and resonates with their target audience. Whether it's a comprehensive branding initiative or a targeted campaign, design.shed aims to deliver quality, creativity, and a thoughtful approach to design.
MA Advertising & Design
Distinction • University of Leeds, 2010
BA (Hons) Graphic and Communication Design
Upper Second Class (2.1) • University of Leeds, 2009
Also, 2nd place World Coal Carrying Championships 2019, and I’ve played tennis with Shania Twain.
Working with me
I work with brands
I work with directly with brands (large and small) in the UK, Europe and beyond, across disciplines such as brand communications, advertising, digital and press - whatever is needed, I can help.
I work with agencies
I work in collaboration with creative agencies across the UK. I can be an extension of your studio or marketing team, or send me a brief and I can send back a client ready response.
I work with small businesses
I work with small businesses and entrepreneurs from theatre companies to running coaches, writers to sports teams. Running a small business is hard - I can help you tackle your brand and communication challenges.
What clients say
“Sarah is a great designer who can absolutely nail a brief. Wholeheartedly recommend her!”
Ken Leung
Creative Content Manager, Arla Foods UK
“Sarah has produced outstanding design work for our business. She has been instrumental in creating a clean, modern and colourful brand for the business since its inception. Sarah has understood our needs perfectly and shows intelligence and tact in interpreting our ethos.
Wayne Philips
Deputy CEO, Captiva Learning
“Sarah is a first-class freelancer who we’ve used for many years now. She’s creative, reliable, accurate and understands a brief. She’s great to have around and integrates seamlessly with our in-house Studio team. We really rate Sarah.”
Adrian Johnson
Managing Director & Founder, Umpf
“Sarah is our go-to designer for anything out of our in-house design skills. Sarah immediately understands a brief, working to tight deadlines and always manages to produce designs that match our ideas and exceed our expectations!”
Sally Bryant-Haswell
Head of Marketing Campaigns, Open ECX
“She is one of the greatest designers I have had the pleasure to work with in my twenty years as a marketeer. I am confident that her visual work across my business has been instrumental in it's success over the past twelve months.”
Allie Bailey
Entrepreneur
“Sarah understands what we need as a business and the market we target. Through the whole process she made sure we were up to date with the progress and kept to deadlines. I would strongly recommend Sarah - someone I will be working with for years to come. ”
Scott Warner
Telecoms Business Consultant