I have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate my firm commitment to privacy. The following discloses the information gathering and dissemination practices for this website.
I understand that your privacy is important to you and that you care about how your personal data is used and shared online. I respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits this website, www.nickgowman.com (“Our Site”) and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a manner that is consistent with Our obligations and your rights under the law.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of Our Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of Our Site. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using Our Site immediately.
Your rights
As a data subject, you have the following rights under the GDPR, which this Policy and Our use of personal data have been designed to uphold:
- The right to be informed about Our collection and use of personal data;
- The right of access to the personal data We hold about you
- The right to rectification if any personal data We hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete
- The right to be forgotten – i.e. the right to ask Us to delete any personal data We hold about you (We only hold your personal data for a limited time, but if you would like Us to delete it sooner, please contact Us);
- The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data;
- The right to object to Us using your personal data for particular purposes and rights with respect to automated decision making and profiling.
For further information about your rights, please contact the Information Commissioner’s Office or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
Links to other websites
Our website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins and applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow third parties to collect or share data about you.
We do not control these third-party websites, and we are not responsible for their privacy statements. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy notice of every website you visit.
The data we collect about you
Client & Contact Information
We collect the following when you enquire about or use our services in order to deliver services, issue invoices, and communicate with you
- Name, Email address and nature of your illustration enquiry/request
- Company name and business information
- Invoicing details: VAT number, bank details, PO numbers, billing address, where applicable.
- Communications between us (emails, messages, meeting notes)
Website & Online Activity
When you visit nickgowman.com we may collect:
- Pages visited, time on site and referral sources
- Form submissions and enquiry content
Tools used: Google Analytics and WordPress.
I do not collect or process
- Special category (sensitive) data — such as racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health information, sexual orientation, political opinions, biometric or genetic data.
- Criminal conviction or offence data.
- Personal data from anyone under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a minor, it will be deleted immediately.
How is your data used?
I use your personal data only for the purposes for which it was collected, or for compatible purposes. These include:
- Delivering and managing the illustration services you have engaged me for
- Sending invoices and managing payments
- Communicating with you about your illustration project or enquiry
- Complying with legal obligations, including supplying information to government agencies (e.g. HMRC, Police, Trading Standards) when lawfully required
- Improvements to my website or service offerings.
Our Lawful Bases for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:
- Contract: processing necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
- Legal obligation: processing necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
- Legitimate interests: processing necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as website analytics, marketing to existing clients, and keeping records, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
- Consent: where we ask for and you have given explicit consent, such as for email marketing subscriptions. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting me at hello@nickgowman.com
How We Store and Protect Your Data
We store your personal data using:
- Secure, domain-specific email (hello@nickgowman.com)
- Google Cloud Storage and Google Drive (GDPR-compliant)
- Project management and client communication tools appropriate to the service
I take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. We do not share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.
I have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where we are legally required to do so.
Data retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, and in line with any legal retention requirements. As a guide:
- Client contact and project data: retained for the duration of the working relationship and up to 6 years afterwards (in line with HMRC requirements for financial records)
- Invoicing and financial data: 6 years from the end of the relevant tax year
- Marketing data (opted-in contacts): until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your data
- Website analytics: as set by the analytics provider (typically 26 months for Google Analytics)
I will regularly review the data I hold and securely delete anything that is no longer needed.
Contact forms
This site includes a contact form to request information and services, which includes name and email fields. I respect your privacy and will never share any personal information with a third party without your expressed prior consent.
I keep contact form submissions for up to a six-month period for customer service purposes, but the information submitted through the contact form is never used for marketing purposes.
This information is not stored in a database on the website. On submission of any forms on the website, the information is sent via email to hello@nickgowman.com. I do not store any financial information, like credit card numbers or any personal information on this website.
International Data Transfers
Some of the tools we use (such as Google services) may transfer data outside of the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements, such as standard contractual clauses or transfers to countries with an adequacy decision. Data transfer usually consists of final artwork deliverables or similar.
Cookies
Our website (nickgowman.com) uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use the site. Under the updated rules introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025:
- Strictly necessary cookies are used without requiring your consent
- Analytics cookies (e.g. Google Analytics) that are used only for statistical purposes may be placed without consent, provided you are given a clear opt-out option
- Any other non-essential cookies will require your prior consent
You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time. Please note that disabling some cookies may affect the functionality of the website.
For more information how cookies are used, please read my cookies page.
3rd Party Widgets
This site may use Facebook and other 3rd party widgets. These widgets may set cookies if you are already logged into these websites, or have previously downloaded cookies set by these sites. This privacy policy does not cover the behaviour of these widgets. I have included links below to their privacy policies:
Google Analytics
This website anonymously logs the number of visitors to each page, along with information about what operating system, browser and monitor size is being used. This information is used to ensure that the site works well for all users.
This website doesn’t collect any personal information that would identify individual website users and all data is only retained for 24 months.
How to make a Data Protection Complaint
Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have a legal right to raise a data protection complaint directly with us before escalating to the ICO. We take all complaints seriously and will handle them promptly and fairly.
How to Complain to Us
If you believe we have not handled your personal data in accordance with UK data protection law, please contact us:
- Email: hello@nickgowman.com
- Subject line: Data Protection Complaint
You can raise a complaint by any means, including email, post, phone, or social media message — we will accept it regardless of the channel.
Please include:
- Your name and contact details
- A description of your concern and the data involved
- What outcome you are seeking
Our Complaints Process
Once we receive your complaint, we will:
- Acknowledge it within 30 calendar days of receipt (including weekends and bank holidays)
- Investigate the matter thoroughly and fairly
- Keep you updated on progress if the investigation takes longer than expected
- Provide you with a written outcome and explain our decision
- Tell you what steps we have taken (or will take) to address the issue
Changes to Our Privacy Policy
This privacy policy may change from time to time (for example, if the law changes). Any changes will be immediately posted on Our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of Our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.
More information required?
If you have read this Privacy Statement and have a few questions and would like to contact me, then please do. The best way to do this is to email me directly at hello@nickgowman.com.
