Who We Are
We are a creative consultancy who take a fundamentally different approach to delivering on client challenges.
Our team has depth of experience in the worlds of art, design and academia, and breadth of expertise spanning architecture, filmmaking, graphic and exhibition design, fashion, food and futures.
We call on a truly diverse network of experts – from gardeners and chefs to behavioural economists and climate change scientists. After all, sometimes the most interesting breakthroughs happen when you leave space to explore the unexpected.
SARAH DOUGLAS
DIRECTOR
Sarah designs inspiring ways to engage people with important topics. With experience across art, innovation and education, she has combined a career as a professional artist with ones in art and design consultancy, academia and the strategic direction of creative projects. In 2012, Sarah co-founded The Liminal Space with Sam Livingstone to bring together cross-disciplinary creativity, innovation and education to create social and strategic change. She holds an MA from the Royal College of Art, is a consultant in the RCA’s Innovation Department and lectures in Fine Art at several UK universities.
AMANDA GORE
DIRECTOR
Amanda helps clients think in new creative ways. An innovation specialist whose work bridges the worlds of creative development, audience engagement and social change, Amanda has more than 12 years’ experience in designing and delivering tools, formats, products and programmes for both public and private sector clients – from Apple to the V&A. Trained as a designer and with a background in consumer insight, Amanda is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of The Courvoisier Future 500 and a mentor at Year Here.
SAM LIVINGSTONE
DIRECTOR
Sam decodes complex issues to create a clear strategic pathway. He has a design and design management background and vast experience working at a senior level with blue chip clients on a spectrum of creative strategy work – from ‘vision orientated’ far reaching programmes to more focused near-term and pragmatic projects. Sam’s strengths lie in connecting insights on the emotive customer/user experience back into creative commercial propositions. He is a Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art and a juror on several Design Awards.
CRISPIN PEARCE
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Crispin manages Operations, Finance, HR & IT. Having worked in organisations such as Oxfam and a number of dynamic SMEs, he brings a combination of operational, commercial and team management to ensure that business as usual runs smoothly.
LIV TAYLOR
CREATIVE STRATEGY & RESEARCH LEAD
Liv brings together visual strategy and cultural research to shape ideas that are meaningful and engaging for our audiences. Drawing upon up to the minute trends and innovation, as well as delving into insight from history and around the world, Liv’s process brings rigour and inspiration to our research, and helps unpack and develop creative briefs for successful working partnerships. She works across retail and hospitality, design and futures, and culture and museums, and is a Senior Lecturer on the University of Brighton BA Visual Communication course.
LAURA GORDON
ART DIRECTOR (MATERNITY LEAVE)
Laura uses design to make people engage, think and respond. A graphic designer with a focus on branding, exhibition and editorial design, Laura is interested in using the tools of visual communication to challenge dominant social and political narratives. She is a tutor on Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art, where she works closely with students as editor of the publishing platform Content Free.
YVONNE CAMPBELL
SENIOR ASSOCIATE
Yvonne is an experienced programme manager with a background in managing complex, large-scale projects. Her previous roles include Interim Head of Grants at the BSA and Senior UK Portfolio Manager for the National Lottery Community Fund, where she was responsible for managing over £70m of public funds. Yvonne develops and oversees our Finance and HR policies and ensures team management and project timelines run smoothly and successfully.
VANESSA HANSBY
ART DIRECTOR – MATERNITY COVER
Vanessa uses art and design to help shape the aesthetic and visual narrative of our clients' stories. As a former design manager for Selfridges, overseeing campaign-led graphic and window displays, her expertise in art direction and design has allowed her to create immersive environments that resonate with audiences. With more than 15 years’ industry experience, she collaborates with our clients to uncover the essence of their story and convey it authentically.
DAVID MACDIARMID
3D DESIGN LEAD
David creates exceptional objects and environments. Having trained in Architecture and worked in practice for several years, his work now encompasses sculpture, 3D and spatial design. David works on cross-disciplinary projects from concept development through to installation, as both a designer and fabricator. His work has included furniture and exhibition design, retail design and public commissions.
BEN LUMLEY
SENIOR PROGRAMME MANAGER – MATERNITY COVER
Ben specialises in the design and delivery of social purpose programmes. He has 15 years' experience leading government policy and programmes across criminal justice, public health, housing and public service innovation. At The Liminal Space, Ben is focused on the delivery and development of our Night Club programme.
RACHAEL HARRIS
PROJECT MANAGER (MATERNITY LEAVE)
Rachael coordinates people and processes to realise our client’s goals. After graduating from Art School in Australia, she ventured to London and made it her home. Rachael honed her project management skills working at museums and public arts organisations and mixes energy and organising to ensure each project succeeds for our clients.
REUBEN JACOB
CREATIVE PRODUCER
Formally trained as an architect, Reuben collaborates with producers, craftsmen, artists and collectives as a spatial and experiential designer. A graduate from the prestigious Interactive Architecture Lab at The Bartlett, he merges reality with interactive technologies and enjoys the making process as much as the final outcome. Reuben is instrumental in the delivery of all of our 3D installations, using his expertise to create thoughtful interventions that breathe life into our designs.
HOPE OLDHAM
PROJECT & OPERATIONS MANAGER
Hope has over 13 years experience managing and producing events and projects. Her expertise lies in managing live consumer events in the experiential marketing sector, both agency side and in-house. She is passionate about bringing creative concepts to life and experienced in delivering high-profile events for corporate and NGO / charity clients, both in the UK and internationally. Hope coordinates the live delivery of our Night Club programme.
ELLA REYNOLDS
HEAD OF PROGRAMME (MATERNITY LEAVE)
Ella develops and manages our Night Club programme. With a background in design and curating, she uses critical thinking, creativity and care to support social change for our audiences and clients. Ella has 10 years experience managing programmes, exhibitions and learning events across the cultural and creative industries. She holds an MA in Curating Contemporary Design from the Design Museum and is a Host Fellow for Enrol Yourself's Learning Marathon.
CHARLOTTE CORNISH
RESEARCH & EVALUATION ASSOCIATE
Charlotte is a solution-focussed strategic researcher. Over her career she has helped organisations make change happen, whether as a leader or consultant. Since 2015, she has focussed her skills on the third sector - working with organisations with a social purpose - ensuring their evidence based evaluation and research provides the insights that help them learn and improve. Charlotte works with us on high-level research and evaluation projects, advising on strategy, development and evaluation.
MAYA WILSON
PROJECT MANAGER – MATERNITY COVER
With a background in theatre production, Maya ensures a seamless transition from project development through to successful delivery and legacy. Outside of work, Maya is a Trustee for Bloomsbury Festival and, in 2023, was selected by Artistic Director of the Future to develop an idea to support global majority arts professionals into leadership positions in the theatre industry.
FINN PAUL
PROJECT MANAGER
Finn is passionate about innovative problem-solving and driving social impact. With five years’ experience working within the mental health support charity sector, Finn is the in-house project manager for our Night Club programme. He is also a keen musician and photographer and brings this creative approach to his work.
LIZZIE FIRBANK
FINANCE ADMINISTRATION
Lizzie has a blend of experience in fine art and design, creative project management and business development. She joined us in 2021 to support us in our day-to-day finance administration as we continue to expand our scope. At Liminal she uses her creative approach and attention to detail to find the right processes that will support our busy and thriving team.
ALICE PHILIPSON
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Alice is a graphic designer inspired by the world around her and loves to play with colour, shapes and words. With a background in interior design, Alice enjoys using space to have an effect on how people feel. When she’s not working at The Liminal Space, she freelances internationally as a designer for small businesses and start-ups and sells her artwork online and at markets.
CARL WILKINSON
WRITER
Carl distills complex ideas into words that capture the imagination. He has worked as a journalist and editor for the past 20 years, writing for The Times, The Observer and The Financial Times. He also writes non-fiction books for children: his first book 'Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity' was published by Laurence King in September 2020 and he is working on a second book, 'Slow Down... and Look Up', which will be out in spring 2021.
ALICE PARSONS
INTERACTIVE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
Alice is a versatile creative with years of experience, designing award winning visuals for innovative, cross-platform projects. From early concepts and wireframing through to final design and implementation; Alice pairs carefully crafted UX and UI with striking visuals to create memorable, meaningful experiences. Her traditional illustration work and passion for storytelling often influence her digital practice. She’s happiest when out exploring in nature with her sketchbook.
JO BARRATT
AUDIO PRODUCER
Jo creates audio experiences that invite people to reflect and consider. His work as an audio producer ranges from producing podcasts and making radio features to multi-sensory exhibition design. He is driven by an interest in finding ways to help people pay more attention, understand and connect to the world around them.
MICHELLE FEUERLICHT
DIGITAL CONSULTANT
Michelle is a multi-award winning executive and producer working across narrative, production and digital innovation. She has produced content, immersive experiences and digital strategy for broadcasters, brands and publishers, as well as heritage and arts organisations, and has worked in London, New York and Sydney. Michelle brings her expertise and passion for storytelling, visual production and technical innovation to our digital projects. She has judged the short-form category at the Broadcast Digital Awards, served as a member of the VR Jury at Sheffield DocFest and is a member of BAFTA.
BAKHTAWER HAIDER & BETTY BRUNFAUT
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Baki and Betty create visuals that make ideas more approachable, supporting The Liminal Space across digital and print design. They practice as Plan B creative studio – a two woman collaboration that was forged at the Royal College of Art. Plan B work with creatives, writers and researchers across a broad range of industries and like to maintain a network that fuels interesting ideas and conversations. Their professional experience includes working with clients in the sustainability sector, NGO’s, cultural sectors, artists and socio-politically engaged individuals.