Meet Luke… Luma’s lead copywriter
This month we’re getting to know Luke a bit better. Here are five minutes with our lead creative thinker and copywriter.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
I think it probably changed every week, but I do remember wanting to be an archaeologist (could anything be more exciting than digging up dinosaurs?) and later, as music and girls took my attention, a rock star.
Clearly, neither of those two dreams worked out for me.
I’m certain I never dreamed of working in marketing, that’s for sure!
So, how did you get into marketing and, specifically, copywriting?
I always enjoyed the more creative subjects at school: music and English literature especially. I read philosophy at university, a topic that bridges the gap between science and creativity. My master’s was in the philosophy of biology.
It was when I was taking a year out, working at a youth mentoring charity to raise funds for a PhD I was about to embark on, that I started working on the charity’s comms and marketing.
I discovered that copywriting suited me well because I got to express my creativity, but also there is a sort of science behind writing to connect with and persuade your reader.
I switched my focus and, after a six-month stint interning at brand agency Creative Spark, I was hooked.
Fast forward five years and a freelance career, and I joined the Luma team in February 2021.
What do you like most about your job?
I love that I get the opportunity to flex my creative muscles, think outside the box and come up with fresh ideas. For me, that means working on branding projects, coming up with solid direct-response ad concepts and writing subject lines for email campaigns that people can’t resist opening.
Is there a project that you’re particularly proud of?
Most recently, Luma worked on the rebranding and new website launch for commissioning management company Sygna.
Our inspiration for the new company name came from the nervous system, which carries signals through synapses across the body. Sygna is a play on the word signal, which is important because so much of what the company does is about communication. Just like the nervous system, Sygna functions behind the scenes to connect client and contractor, carrying important information back and forth, simplifying complexity and ensuring every moving part of a project is working optimally.
Leading on from the brand name, we wanted a strapline that highlighted one of the things that make Sygna a truly exemplary commissioning management company. Namely, their ability to take the complex requirements of clients and deliver simple, easy-to-action guidelines that lead to high-functioning spaces. This is how we ended up at ‘High Functioning spaces, delivered simply’.
It's a great example of how there is so much more to a business name than simply sounding good. The new brand reflects the company’s core values and is an identity that staff can relate to and, hopefully, embody, in their work.
To have seen that project from start to finish, and to have mined away until we came upon that perfect company name was a really great feeling.
That being said, I’m enjoying my work so much, I do feel like my best work is ahead of me…
Finally, what keeps you busy when you’re not at Luma HQ?
When I’m not scratching my head for a synonym, I’m usually found playing the guitar, at Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or answering to every whim of our cat, Mog. Unfortunately, I seemed to have developed a paw-shaped print on my forehead. No idea how that happened.
