Craft is in the detail

As a furniture design student I was taught the ways of architect and designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, that “God is in the details”. This has stayed with me and it informs my thinking, whether it’s in the most obvious way, such as the resolution of the intersection of two materials, or the abstract that a concept has a sense of meaning and structure, even if this is internal facing and is never spoken of to the end user. Coming up with a great concept is all very well but the execution has to match, right down to the smallest detail. Signature finishes and the final touches communicate a lot about how a brand operates.

It’s a privilege to be able to create for a living and the excitement of bringing an idea to life is something I never tire of. There’s nothing like the feeling of potential at the start of a new project – not knowing how it will be shaped, resisting the temptation to make assumptions until you know in detail the question that needs answering. Designers love working to a brief, problem solving, digging down into what it is, what it could be and carving out a niche in the marketplace.

Good design goes much further than simply making something look good. The need to search out the uniqueness of a brand to allow it to own a space in the marketplace, is becoming ever more crucial. Competition comes from every direction, and trends are global and instant. It has never been more important to stand out and not to blend into the background. This core idea is the focus for most of our work and a marker to check against.

I have a long-held fascination with the way people interact with objects and spaces, and how design can make this interaction more joyful and engaging. This really forms the essence of what we do day-to-day and how we think about the challenges our clients bring to us. We try to place ourselves in the position of the end user or customer and imagine/predict which outcomes are desirable in each situation. How do we want them to feel? What would we like them to take away from each interaction?

Through the manipulation of form, colour, texture, sound, movement and smell we can heighten the experience of these interactions to leave a positive, memorable experience so that customers feel an attachment to the brand and become brand advocates.