04 We did it our way
Mat Lazenby
Age: 31
Left academic education: After GCSEs, aged 16 in 1992 followed by two years at York College – BTEC in Art & Design
Defining moment: Being selected by Channel 4 viewers and Design Week readers to represent young people at The Creative Summit
Current occupation: Joint founder and graphic designer at LazenbyBrown
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John Lazenby
"Mat's been really keen on art and graphics since he was about 11 or 12. He was always creating images of things that sparked his imagination – like making posters of his favourite bands. When he was a teenager and we were at a restaurant, Mat would say to the staff: 'These menus aren’t very good, would you like me to design you some better ones?' He’s certainly never been shy about asking the right questions; I suppose that’s one of the keys to his success.
Mat could have gone to university, but he was offered a job as a result of a what he did on a work experience placement at a design company and he hasn't looked back. He was always much better at the more creative subjects at school and as he wanted to get into graphic design we thought that practical experience was really important for his future.
I'm extremely proud of Mat’s achievements; he’s got a great job and he’s very happy so I don’t think either his mother or I would have wanted to change the route he took to getting where he is today."