Design

Sideshow

Welcome to my Curiosity Museum!

Inside, you'll find a sideshow where I display objects that inspire me or reflect my thoughts. It's a place where my curiosity about the world and where every item tells a story in relation to my work.

 

Object #1
Festool Track Saw

Measure twice, cut once

Measure twice, cut once is a phrase often used by carpenters, and it was one I heard when working with Marque Furniture. 

I was intrigued by the tools in their workshop. A track saw made by Festool caught my attention. The Festool green highlights the important features – seamlessly integrating the brand with product.

I put a huge amount of emphasis on research and developing ideas. Weighing my time in thinking before doing, measuring twice, and cutting once.

 

Object #2
Golden ratio

I’m afraid of numbers

Maths confused me at school. It wasn’t until I came across the Golden ratio and the Fibonacci sequence at art college that it suddenly made sense. For the first time, it had a purpose and I could apply it to my design work. The ratio is commonly seen in nature and science. In design, it’s used to create balance in visual compositions.

Now I look for numeric patterns everywhere. The murmuration of starlings on Brighton Beach, the rhythm of hands on a clock, counting sets of waves to see if the fifth or seventh wave is the biggest. Maybe I’m turning into a maths nerd.

 

Object #3
The Volvelle

The World’s first app

The word Volvelle comes from the Latin Volvere ‘to turn’. Volvelles were designed hundreds of years ago and made from paper. They are a perfect example of how complex information can be designed to be intuitive and playful.

The Night Sphere, created in 1305 and made with rotating parts, was designed to calculate the correct time at night for when medicine was to be administered.

It could be the first app that was ever created. 

 

Object #4
Naef Cubicus

All play, no work

Early morning sea swims and mountain bike rides on the Sussex Downs bring me immense mental and physical rewards. Swimming against the tide or cycling up a challenging hill gives me time to think and play in nature. 

The Naef Cubicus is a colourful wooden stacking cube made from geometric segments. A simple idea, that can be configured into endless combinations. It’s aesthetically pleasing and timeless.

Play is an integral part of my design process, allowing me time to experiment, and transform ideas into a variety of shapes. Design never feels like work.

 

Object #5
Mahlstick

Every brush stroke is a breath-held

Ghost signs are hand-painted signs, preserved on buildings from the past, and are a million miles away from today’s digital displays and vinyl signs. The craft of the sign writer plays an important part in our daily visual culture.

Local sign writer Terry Smith, revealed firsthand to me, how steady the hand and eye need to be when detailed hand-painted lettering is being executed, as he held his breath and painted a line.