Taking a seat with the people behind Agile.
Meet Archie Sylvester, Graphic Designer & Marketing Coordinator at Agile, taking the A-Team seat this month.
Approaching his first year with Agile, Archie works across the brand and its marketing, from creative execution through to supporting the planning and delivery of content.
For Archie, though, good design starts somewhere much more fundamental: understanding people.
We caught up with him to talk design, healthcare, what Designed With Care means from his side of the desk and his apparently undisputed status as Agile’s reigning darts champion.
What’s something about your job that people probably don’t realise?
One thing I’ve come to realise through my academic years and my time at Agile is that design requires empathy – especially within graphic communication.
Research, understanding a brief and having the right technical skills are all important, but a big part of design is being able to place yourself in the position of the audience and ask: what is the problem here?
For me, good design is about understanding that problem clearly, then helping shape a solution that feels considered, useful and appropriate for the people it is designed for.
What does Designed With Care mean to you?
To me, “Designed With Care” means approaching both the problem and the solution with care. It is not just a tagline. It is more of a shared ethos – a reminder that the work we do should be shaped by empathy, understanding and a genuine care for the people it affects.
At Agile, that means listening properly, designing thoughtfully and continuing to support the outcome beyond installation.
What do you think Agile does particularly well?
Agile understands the customer’s problem, gets to the heart of the requirement, and provides a solution that supports them beyond installation.
That really comes back to how we work: Listen. Deliver. Support.
We listen to what the customer needs, deliver that requirement, then continue supporting the outcome long after delivery.
Away from Agile…
What are you usually doing when you’re not at work?
A fair few things, to be honest.
To keep myself going, I usually spend time at the gym, continue my running training and occasionally train boxing – although that definitely doesn’t mean I’m great at it.
Staying active keeps me motivated and helps with both my physical health and mental wellbeing. Health is wealth.
When I’m relaxing, I’m a big film fan. Any genre, any cast, any story – I love watching films, whether that’s from the sofa or at the cinema. I also make sure to spend time with family and loved ones whenever I can.
Quickfire with Archie…
Tea or coffee?
Coffee, all the way. I need something to get me moving first thing in the morning.
That said, green tea is a strong dark horse option.
What’s playing in the car?
My music taste is very wide.
In the car, I could have anything on – from Frank Sinatra to AC/DC to Amy Winehouse to Sam Fender. But if I had to pick my favourite song of all time, it would probably be “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. Beautiful song, and a solid life reminder.
What would your colleagues say about you?
They’d probably say I’m the reigning darts champion or at least, that’s what I’d like them to say.
Beyond that, I’d hope they’d say I’m thoughtful, enthusiastic and always trying to bring care and intention into the work I do.
And what should they definitely not say?
That my darts title was a fluke. I won’t be accepting that.