my story

I’m Sara – the brand and marketing activist, aka Truckel Creative

Why the brand and marketing activist? I’ve been an activist since 1988 when I took on a self led school project about factory farming. I still don’t know what made me look into that subject, but I realised there and then I couldn’t be any part of it. I then heard The Smiths “Meat is Murder” and realised I wasn’t alone. After 25 years of being vegetarian I finally saw the light and went fully vegan.

My road to eco warrior came only a couple of years later when I bought “How To Be Green” by John Button – a book that became my bible! I would write real life letters (way before the age of emails and internet!)  to toiletry and beauty companies, asking them if they tested on animals and the ingredients in their products. Needless to say I didn’t get a huge amount of replies – thank the 1990s universe for The Body Shop!

Even though I specialised in design at art college I went off and worked in retail marketing and retail development for 16 years in small independent brands and latterly, The British Red Cross. I then came back to design as a graphic designer for a major charity greetings card publisher before going off to university – all the wrong way round (I don’t do ‘normal’!) – as a (very) mature student!
At university I gained a foundation degree in graphic design, a BA in visual arts (illustration) and a masters in visual communication. I’ve successfully founded and co-run two events businesses, been a freelance graphic designer since 2016 and specialising in branding since 2020. In 2024 I added back in marketing to the mix as the two sit so perfectly side by side and I have such a wealth of experience it was a shame not to use it.

Having a divergent brain (hello fellow ADHDers!) allows me to see connections others don’t and also to think differently (I don’t think outside of the box because I’ve never been in the box!). I have big crazy ideas that I ride with to see where they take me, and I utilise this skill for my clients too so they get ideas no-one else has thought of!

Being a vegan and environmental activist means I don’t just empathise with my clients audiences, I am my client’s audience! This puts me in an incredible position when it comes to working with clients on branding and marketing.