THE MAN BEHIND THE STUDIO
Hi, I’m Stu – a freelance designer, photographer and videographer helping businesses across New Zealand bring their ideas to life with creative that actually works.
One creative. All the visuals.
Hey, I’m Stu – a freelance graphic designer, photographer and videographer based in New Plymouth, working with businesses, agencies and property professionals across New Zealand.
After years working in design studios and creative agencies, I set up Studio Stu to offer something simple: high-quality creative work without the faff. No middlemen, no overcomplicated processes — just solid design, sharp visuals, fast turnarounds, and a straightforward way of working.
ABOUT ME
After high school, I headed to Massey University in Wellington to study Visual Communication Design at the College of Creative Arts. I graduated with a Bachelor of Design, majoring in VCD with minors in graphic design and illustration.
From there, my wife Nicki and I moved to Auckland to kick off our careers in marketing and design. I was lucky enough to land my first role at the advertising powerhouse Colenso BBDO, where I got the chance to work on some incredible global brands including Burger King, Samsung, Spark, and BNZ.
After five years in the big smoke, we decided it was time to head home to New Plymouth to start a family. That’s when I joined Smokeylemon, a local creative agency, where I spent another five years working across everything from digital design to photo, video and print.
Studio Sutherland was the natural next step – giving me the freedom to continue collaborating with my agency friends as a freelancer, while also taking on my own photography and video projects directly for clients.
Why choose Studio Stu?
Over a decade of experience across design, photo and video
Fast, flexible and easy to work with
Friendly, straight-talking service – no jargon, no pressure
High-quality visuals that actually get results
One point of contact from start to finish
