Creativity Meets Tech: A Conversation with Atom Creative Media, Pocklington.
At System Plus, we work with all sorts of businesses, from engineers and estate agents to farmers and food producers and one thing we’ve learned is that every business, no matter what they do, runs on technology.
But when you’re in the creative industry, where deadlines are tight, clients are demanding, and files can be larger than life, having the right tech setup isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.
That’s why we recently sat down with Alex from Atom Creative Media to talk about the real-world changes technology is bringing to the creative sector.
This isn’t a sales pitch or a case study. Just a proper conversation about how things have evolved and what it’s like to run a creative agency in 2025.
So Alex, tell us a little about Atom Creative Media…
“I started Atom Creative Media back 2016, although back then it was called “Yodelay”, and based in Southend on Sea, Essex. An opportunity suddenly presented itself to go full time self employed, and I thought well, it’s now or never. I’ve since relocated to Pocklington in Yorkshire, and continue to deliver branding solutions and website design and development services to my clients.”
What kind of industries do you work with most?
“I’ve never really “niched down” into a particular industry or sector, as I like to keep on my toes with a diverse range of project types, meaning that the challenges will always be fresh, and the goals of my clients will sometimes make for really interesting and fun ways to approach the problem-solving element. But if there was any kind of commonality between my clients, it’s in their size – I have traditionally always supported small local businesses, one-man-bands and startups. Being a one-person team myself, I understand a lot of the challenges that they might also be facing!”
Creative work has changed a lot in recent years. What does your average workday look like now?
“A lot of aspects of creative work have definitely (and naturally) seen some change over the years, but for me the core tenet of good design will always be true; it should solve a problem. That’s what good design is: it’s problem solving. Besides using different software these days, my workday typically looks the same as it always has – I keep in touch with my clients, and I solve their problems. The form that takes will differ from one day to the next. Today I might be putting the finishing touches on a new brand, getting it ready for deployment. Tomorrow I’ll be designing responsive layouts for a new website.”
Has the way you deliver work changed over time — for example, the shift from USBs and hard drives to cloud-based tools?
“Oh 100%. I try to make myself stand out in how I communicate with my clients, and deliver results. Over the years I’ve learned to take more ownership in a project, not necessarily giving them what they ask for, but advising them on what they actually need – because sometimes they might not even know! That turns it into a real trust relationship, which feels good. I like to keep my clients in the loop with video walkthroughs, interactive prototypes and a lot of friendly catch-ups. I’d say the cloud and other tech over solid media realistically has allowed this to happen”
Let’s talk AI. Are you using it and if so, how?
“I don’t mind saying that I use AI – mostly for bouncing ideas around. I’ve found it’s not that useful for design-related feedback, but it can definitely help keep my code clean, lean and more efficient. I don’t feel that AI is a big threat – it’s a tool, and like any tool it does a very specific job when you really boil it down. In fact the more I use AI, the more it’s starting to simply feel like a very clever google assistant.”
And with all these tools and files and platforms, how do you keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes?
“Like I said, I try and keep my tech stack lightweight and simple. Sometimes – like good design – it’s about taking things away, not adding more. I keep most of my stuff backed up on the cloud, and pick and choose the software and services that I use quite carefully. Every now and then I’ll review things, make some cuts on anything that isn’t really necessary any more, or bring in something new that can help bolster my offerings or methods.”
What’s the most frustrating part of managing technology in a creative business?
“Thankfully, since I keep things light, big tech trouble doesn’t come my way too often – but if it does, it’s usually something that’s out of my hands, for example a third party service might go through a major change and upend a lot of how you might operate. This has happened to me. I think that type of thing is unavoidable – inevitable, even. But that’s running a business. That’s risk management. You just have to be prepared, and where you can’t be prepared you need to be able to rally, think on your feet, and try to come back swinging – stronger even, for having learned something new.”
And on the flip side, what’s one piece of technology you couldn’t live without in your studio?
“Besides the obvious stuff like my computer and the internet (of course), I love my stack. I love using Figma for layout designs, Adobe Illustrator for vector artwork, Sublime Text for coding, and MAMP Pro for running my local dev environment. Advanced Custom Fields is great for building custom WordPress websites. These are all industry standard, you’ll find lots of people also using these. But I do have a real loyalty to FontAwesome – thousands of icons in loads of styles covering everything I’ll ever need. Since I found them, I don’t use any other source for my icons.”
Looking ahead, what changes do you think are coming for creative businesses in the next 5 years?
“I’m focusing right on how I can offer more affordable website solutions to businesses who are a bit more budget-aware, and would prefer to keep things simple, avoiding big design phases and builds that require lots of custom code and functions. Delivering big projects that can sometimes take a few months is great and I really enjoy it, but not everybody has that time, or can swing that type of cost. I don’t like to let them down! So I’m working on something new… watch this space!”
Final Thoughts
Our chat with Alex was a reminder that while tools and platforms will always evolve, the core of great creative work is still the same: ideas, execution, and collaboration.
For businesses like Atom Creative Media, having the right tech in place doesn’t just help the day run smoother, it frees up more time and energy to do what they do best. Big thanks to Alex for taking the time to chat.
You can find out more about his work at Atom Creative Media, or follow them on Facebook
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