About

I'm an independent who helps brands, design and creative agencies, and media companies tell stories to connect with audiences. As a journalist and editor with 20 years experience in the design and creative sector, I use this to offer a range of tailored services to suit each client.

Once I know what your needs are I can get to work on anything from helping with an already defined project, to working with you to shape a brief before tackling it.

Next I make a start by collaborating directly with you or – where relevant – use my network of leading writers, editors, strategists, designers and other creative practitioners to put together the perfect project team for the job.

Take a look at my list of services to see how I can help with anything from strategic brand writing to editorial strategy, communcatios strategy and much more. Services can be shaped to fit budget and project scope.

Tom Banks

Everything I do stems from a lifetime obsession with words, helping people tell their stories and writing (a lot). My background as a journalist makes me forensic and as an editor, often brings an editorial lens to the work I do now. Today, I'm working with brands, agencies and media companies to help build meanigful connections with audiences.

As Design Week editor I rolled out a progressive and profitable strategy built around an editorial and commercial plan to engage, inform and inspire readers while making partnership brands such as Adobe, IBM, Figma and Framer part of the same conversation.

I grew the audience, developed flagship products and successful new formats, while managing cross-disciplinary teams. A successful and profitable Design Week Awards was delivered year-on-year, with the format adapting and changing to suit the times, including the pandemic years. Record entries were overseen and I put together judging panels of more than 50 independent judges while delivering a showcase of shortlisted and winning work online and in print.

More recently I implemented a transformative strategy to redefine what ‘creative’ means to The Drum as anywhere that creativity, brands and organisations intersect. The title used to see ‘creative’ as the creative side of advertising. While continuing to serve this audience we also took a broader view to include most types of design. In doing so the complexion of the audience changed while the existing audience – senior decision makers like CMO’s who commission creative – were shown the value of investing in design and ‘creative’.

Over my career I've presented and hosted across stage, film and audio internationally and appeared as a guest.