As the senior designer I lead a sketching session every Monday with the design team, comprised of six people. This is an important part of the process of creating stunning homeware. Each session stimulates the designers and is the primary stage for developing new products.

Another part of my daily work is liaising with customers, as our company supplies ceramic homeware products to clients around the world. This interaction with customers has several aspects, beginning with receiving a customer objective.

I then work with the marketing team and look at market research and trends, and from this the team and I generate a suitable product concept for the target market.

My day also involves working on designs and concepts for our own brand of ceramic homeware products, 'Loveramics', which the company established last year. Working on designs for this brand provides a lot of design freedom.

In comparison, the amount of design freedom for clients depends on the client, and often the clients have a strong idea of what they need. In this case I come up with up to 10 designs for them to choose from, all in line with their creative concepts and product requirements.

If I am working on a large project, then part of each day is taken up by presenting my product ideas at regular meetings for the duration of the project. If it is a small project, there are more informal meetings with the marketing team to discuss product feasibility and marketing strategies.

I face a number of challenges in my role, one of which is time management as I need to work with so many different people, including my team, the customers, the technicians, the engineers and the product manager. This requires me to be organised so that I can fulfil all my commitments to others while having enough time for the creative process.

To ensure that I remain creative, I also make time to draw in my sketch book, jotting down ideas and concepts for future presentations. I have always been very good at illustration and studied art throughout my entire schooling, so I enjoy this part of my day very much.

Staying up to date on industry and fashion trends and being fresh with design ideas is vital. For this reason I attend trade fairs and related events, which means I travel overseas up to three times a year. I also visit our factory in China several times a year. I have to make sure all this travel fits in with my schedule.

I am also a people person, which is a big advantage in my field. It is up to me and the team to interpret the client's ideas and send them in the right direction, which requires good communication skills. I also consider myself to have a good eye for trends and fashions.

A willingness to learn is another important requirement of my job. At times my designs might be criticised, but I must be able to take this in my stride and use it to improve my work.

The most rewarding aspect of my job is seeing my work in shops. I remember vividly the first time I saw one of my designs in a shop in Europe. It was a great feeling.