For Louiza Cookson-Rabouhi, design was never a career she simply fell into. It was something instinctive that she grew into. “I designed a logo for my dad’s business when I was eight years old, and he still uses it to this day,” she laughs. “Though I did eventually upgrade it from Microsoft Paint to Illustrator.”
That early project planted the seed for what would become a rich, winding, creative journey. Louiza studied at the University of the Arts London before taking an unexpected detour into the world of music.
“Being in a band taught me the importance of collaboration and rhythm,” she says. “You feed off each other’s energy to create something bigger than you could alone.” It’s an approach that still informs her work today, particularly when tackling complex brand identities that need more than just aesthetic flair.
Louiza’s time in fashion photography sharpened another skill: storytelling. “It taught me how to tune into mood and meaning without relying on words,” she explains. “There’s always an emotional core I’m chasing in my work, not just surface-level visuals.”
Credit for all images: Nahal Marzban
Pushing boundaries
After years of experience across different creative industries, Louiza’s hunger for growth only intensified. Her move from NEXT! Foods, where she worked closely with in-house teams, to Magnetic, was driven by a craving for variety and challenge. “I missed being around brilliant people solving wildly different challenges,” she says.
Now principal designer at Magnetic – a practice that sits somewhere between consultancy and creative agency – Louiza works at the intersection of brand, experience, service, and systems design. It’s a role that’s pushed her to reframe her thinking.
“We often begin with the question behind the brief,” she says. “I’ve had to unlearn a lot – start from curiosity, not assumption.”
At Magnetic, the creative process is less about jumping to solutions and more about immersing in the problem. It’s an iterative approach that blends research, workshops, and experimentation. “I’m learning to design from insight, not just instinct,” Louiza notes. “It’s been a humbling and exciting shift.”
Finding joy in the messy middle
Louiza describes the heart of her process as the “messy middle”, which you could describe as that chaotic but thrilling phase where stakeholder input, cultural insights, and creative sparks begin to connect. “It’s like solving a beautiful puzzle,” she says. “You’re swimming in all this information, and then suddenly, it starts to click.”
One standout project has been Magnetic’s work with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the launch of the MBacc, a technical education pathway designed to provide young people with meaningful alternatives to traditional academic routes.
Louiza and her team led the creative strategy and storytelling for the launch, developing a film that captured voices from students, educators, employers, and even Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. “It wasn’t just about announcing a policy,” she says. “It was about starting a movement rooted in optimism and opportunity.”
For Louiza,