Who the hell is Karen Legge?

Get to know some of the brilliant minds behind our work. We’re chatting with members of the DixonBaxi studio about what makes them who they are. From the professional to the personal, nothing is off limits here. We caught up with Karen, our finance manager, about the power of numbers, working with Sting and the fact that horses are expensive lawnmowers. This is the rest of that conversation:

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Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Karen Legge and I’m the finance manager at DixonBaxi.

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What’s your story?
Originally a proper country girl from the deepest depths of Wiltshire, my first job was in a tiny accountancy practice in the middle of Salisbury plain (so tiny there was only one computer in the whole company), where one of my clients was a nightclub called Sticky Carpets.

I then moved to London in 2001 to work at a multinational advertising agency (with its own subsidised bar, hence my early 20s are a bit blurry). Since then, I’ve worked for TV, film and music companies, including a brief stint as Sting’s bookkeeper (I’m still convinced I only got that job by admitting to crashing into his garden wall in my first car), and a weird side-step into diagnostic testing, which included giving visitors from our American head office tours around the lab and showing them the bottles of body parts. Even more strange as I was the senior management accountant.

After having another dip into the incredibly dry world of accountancy practice, I came running to the lovely people at DixonBaxi, where I’ve spent the past 8 years trying to explain that being described as a creative accountant is NOT the compliment it’s intended to be!  

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What are you working on right now?
I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you.

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“[Good design is] adding beauty to functionality – making art from the mundane.”

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Describe your working style in 3 words.
Super organised multi-tasking.

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Tell us about some of your interests. What are you into?
I’m a massive devourer of books, mainly science fiction and fantasy and especially anything by the genius that is Sir Terry Pratchett.

I’m also quite fond of animals. I have an elderly horse (aka the world’s most expensive lawn mower), a demon masquerading as a cat, and four dogs, who all have more hobbies than I do. I tend to spend most weekends standing in a cold, wet field attempting to do agility and flyball and sometimes even succeeding. Only ask me about flyball if you’re prepared to feign interest while I waffle on and force-feed you YouTube videos – you have been warned.

In my spare time (haha) I’m studying for a professional qualification in canine behaviour, which (assuming I pass) will allow me to start studying for a MSc in clinical animal behaviour in 2024.

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Do you think design can change the world? How?
Yes of course – anything that can change how people feel has the power to change the world!

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If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
More empathy, less judgement –  we should all walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.

What’s the last song you listened to?
Half the World Away by Oasis (and apologies to anyone who heard me squawking along).

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Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?
I’m hugely detail oriented and I do love an excel spreadsheet, so I find being involved in the whole finance process very satisfying. Working in such a creative environment is a huge bonus and very rewarding – when everything you do involves numbers, seeing the amazing things those numbers represent is incredibly inspiring.

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What’s your definition of good design?
Adding beauty to functionality – making art from the mundane.

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