- Fran O’Hara
Fran O’Hara is the founder and creative director of Scarlet Design International Ltd, a strategic design agency and consultancy business focusing on delivering design, creative thinking and training services to a range of local, national and international clients. Her core aims are to provide leadership and innovation as an integral part of the each process, and to deliver outcomes which exceed expectations.
Established in 1997, the company portfolio (www.scarletdesign.com) includes work for global giants such as Disney, Unilever, Nestlé, Agfa, BBC, OU and the London Eye. It also includes a wealth of design work for diverse clients across a range of sectors, including the Welsh Government, Cardiff University, NHS, RNIB, RNLI and the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales.
As a communications specialist Fran uses her expert design, visual-led facilitation and business strategy skills to bring clarity and create engaging and inclusive communications. She has over 20+ years proven experience in strategic illustration, workshop and process design and delivery, coaching, brand strategy, CI, print, corporate presentations and consumer products.
In a consultancy role she writes and delivers workshops on creative thinking, company structure and culture, ideas generation, product development and brand strategy. She manages information gathering processes, and leads consultations; using a combination of strategic thinking, problem-solving and drawing skills, to provide innovative person-centred workshops and to stimulate fresh thinking and practices.
Previously, the Design Manager at Disney Travel Products (DTP) – Disney’s first global division – at the Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles, Fran was responsible for managing the creative team outputs and licensee product development. Her role also encompassed development of the Mickey’s World brand and launch into Travel Retail outlets across the globe.
Prior to joining DCP Fran was Design Manager at the Disney Consumer Products, Asia Pacific Regional headquarters in Hong Kong. Based within the marketing department Fran co-ordinated the country office creative teams, designed brand guides and supported the regional teams’ creative needs. During her time at Disney Fran designed and led creative conferences in Bali and Bombay, and travelled to 11 countries in Asia Pacific launching the Disney Babies brand.
Fran is a visiting lecturer at University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) on the BA (hons) Graphic Communications and Illustration degrees, delivering a professional skills workshop programme. Fran is also a communications coach at the IMD Executive Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. She moderated plenaries at the W.I.N. 2010 (Paris) and 2011 (Rome) Leadership Conferences and sits on the Cardiff Design Festival planning committee.
Completing a post-graduate certificate in education (PGCE PCet) in 2010, Fran lectures at the Cardiff School of Art & Design (UWIC), the University of Glamorgan and is a consultant research assistant at IMD executive business school in Lausanne. She is an associate member of the NHS Equality & Human Rights SRG and sits on the Cardiff Design Festival Planning Committee. Fran is an accredited ‘Easy Read’ practitioner and has undertaken the RNIB ‘Accessible Communications’ training course.