Alan Long, born in London in 1981 as a middle child was early on inspired by the creative industries. He managed to improvise his way through school as well as tap dance and ended up at university having sent his tutor an oversized photo of himself cut into smaller pieces (for their opening assignment).

He graduated as a graphic designer, winning best portfolio in a group show and was snatched up working for a small design agency. There he honed in his skills whilst working for indie and pop artists as well as commercial projects (BT, Samsung, Brasserie Blanc, Loch Fyne). His thirst for unique ideas and an eye for design was soon recognised within the industry, and he set up his own award winning agency Sane & Able. Amongst others, one of Alan’s first clients included the branding for the Gallagher clothing label Pretty Green, but he also works on commercial brands such as Pot Noodle, The Agency, Fidelio Arts, mGage, Intellibox...

Alan has always enjoyed coming up with new ideas and companies. Some of his recent ventures include: EyeSaver, The IdeaSafe, Creative Swap, Second Encore and Ding Day.

He also takes a vivid interest in the fine arts, being a creator himself and following young rising artists along the way. He curates in an event collective called Noted which supports up and coming talent through a fellowship as well as curating for brands such as Soho House Group and Wilderness Festival.

Developing his company structure has allowed him a new mindset on work life balance, which led to him being featured in the best selling book: #lifechanger. Documenting his choice of relocating to Berlin with his young family and how he manages to work flexible hours on no set parameters when and where he likes, while still maintain a very successful company with an international dedicated staff base.

Turning his eye to writing, Alan felt strongly he wanted to share his experiences in this sector, and create a conversation between junior and more experienced creatives. He also felt he wanted to highlight that success can be very achievable with simple measures put in place.

Look out for the sequel.