PARIS, London, Sydney, New York - all iconic destinations with landmarks that fill picture frames around the world.

But what if Swindon could be portrayed in a similarly glamorous light? Its ‘hidden gems’ set against the backdrop of a full moon or a Hollywood sunset perhaps?

Well now we have an answer, thanks to the efforts of the team at Old Town design firm Jazzbones Creative.

Led by senior designer Mitchell Nelson, they have produced a range of vintage inspired travel posters and postcards portraying Swindon as a world of opportunity and adventure.

It is a view that Jazzbones’ founder and creative director Nathan Sandhu knows well.

Born here in 1977, Nathan says the town and its spirit has moulded him as a person, a professional, and over the past decade, as a business owner too.

“When people talk about Swindon being a town of great opportunities, personal experience tells me it’s a fact and not just a marketing slogan,” he said.

“One of the things I love about Swindon is that it’s such a democratic town. Working with clients in places like London, Oxford or Bath, I sometimes get the impression it’s all about who you know, not what you know – which school you went to, or where you play golf.

“In Swindon, by contrast, nobody gives a hoot where you come from; people judge you by who you are and what you can offer professionally.”

Nathan started his career as a budding graphic designer 22 years ago, he credits Swindon with giving him the shot that made that move a success.

“Nobody in Swindon ever looked down their nose at me because I was brought up on a council estate or went to a ‘rough’ comprehensive,” he said. “On the contrary, they judged me purely on my passion and work ethos and what I could do for their business.

“That hasn’t changed, and as a person with a mix of English, Indian and Italian heritage, I am proud of the way Swindon continues to embrace newcomers, whether they’re from Poland, Portugal or Pakistan.”

The company that he now runs also has strong roots in the local community - every member of the design team is Swindon born and bred.

Several of them started out elsewhere - London, Bristol, even Spain - but they all opted to return to Swindon.

“Like them, I am a firm believer in Swindon as a tremendous place to work, rest and play,” said Nathan. “Like all smaller towns, it has its cultural purists who will insist that the next big thing is to be found somewhere else.

“To those people I would say this; if Lydiard Park, Coate Water, Town Gardens, The Weighbridge, Los Gatos, Helen Browning Chophouse, Bardolino, the Designer Outlet, Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, The Bohemian Balcony, Oink, RPM Records, and a very long etcetera were in London or Brighton people would be queuing up to sing their praises.

“It’s time the naysayers ‘switched on to Swindon’. Let’s go for it and put Swindon on the map.”

The series of posters and postcards created by the Jazzbones Creative team will be available to purchase. You can learn more by visiting their website.

Nathan and his team are just some of many Swindon businesses backing the Switch on to Swindon campaign which looks for ways to promote the town as an exciting place to live, work, visit and invest in.

To find out more about SOTS and how you can get involved, visit the campaign website here.