I’ve started my new studio year by starting off a loaf of bread, to rise and prove while I get on with the overview, admin and communication that get the work under way. As I knead the dough, I think about the mindset that does this. Creative professionals are multitaskers … Read More
Here at the studio there’s work for and with clients, there are personal projects and there are the things that are part lab, part playground. Studio Snack, a food podcast about design, started when fellow designer Narcis Sauleda and I kept having conversations over coffee that we wished we’d recorded. … Read More
Accessibility. Reverse engineering it into existing materials is a challenge. But in a project modifying PDF publications designed for long-term client Bowen Craggs, it’s also changed how I think about layout. As someone who loves words and visual communication equally, I’ve found it fascinating to have to consider for the … Read More
Studio Snack is a monthly food podcast about design, made with creative collaborator Narcis Sauleda. In our latest episode, we ask a four-legged studio mate how dogs choose snacks, we find dog treat history in our creative neighbourhood and we consider who packaging is actually for. Listen to Studio Snacks … Read More
It’s called a linen tester… They were made for the textile industry and repurposed by designers and printers for checking proofs and print. I have a newer one but I reach for this, my late Dad’s, because it’s good, and true, and it has the heft of a proper piece of engineering. What … Read More
Pretzels… In this month’s Studio Snack podcast, creative collaborator Narcis Sauleda and I bring you some fast facts about a slowly-made snack. But for all their twisty history, what this was really about was comparing the knotty processes of pretzel-making and design. Attempting to bake pretzels, I found out what … Read More
The alpine strawberries and cherry tomatoes I grow in my urban garden rarely make it indoors. I eat them like sweets. So Grow your own snack is the latest Studio Snack podcast episode with creative collaborator Narcis Sauleda. Harvest a snack, pour a cold drink and listen to historical trends … Read More
Sunshine! For the May Studio Snack podcast, we’ve gone outdoors to talk about picnics. Grab a blanket, a Scotch egg and tune in to hear about the curious indoor history of the picnic, picnics in numbers, a sandwich in Sandwich and this month’s design experiment.
Design and illustration are often portrayed as desk work, and good service as being available on-demand. So in what’s both Creativity and Wellbeing Week and Mental Health Awareness Week, I’ve been thinking about the value of a screen break. The best design tutors I’ve taught with have a lot to … Read More
A side project of a side project… My Teemill store has line illustrations on organic cotton garments and tote bags. It sprang from Dispatches from a Small World, my three-year project reporting from my urban garden in sketches. I’ve learned a lot from this foray into retail, at the design … Read More