Ideas Factory

If Ken Would, I Would

I had the great pleasure of spending an hour in the company of Kenneth Grange at The Lightbox in Woking. The talk lasted a little over an hour but Kenneth could have talked, and we would all have listened, for days. Among his many anecdotes was the story of how his prototype model for the Kenwood Chef was unfinished 3.5 days into his allotted 4 days. He sliced the model in half, length ways, and took a mirror to the pitch. Ken Wood was so taken with the presentation and perfect symmetry that Grange was hired and they never looked back. 

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a talk with Kenneth Grange I implore you to go, you'll hear about opening Swiss offices to aid skiing holidays, how the Ferrari Daytona has influenced all car design and how all packet food is designed to be made with only a fork.

Fascinating!

From Small Seeds

The V&A hosted an enthralling talk with Thomas Heartherwick ahead of their forthcoming exhibition last Friday. It was incredible to hear in detail about a handful of the many breathtaking Heatherwick Studio projects, with Thomas showing an infectious, childlike enthusiasm for each – past and present. I'm looking forward to the exhibition and to enlightening people with the reasons for the London bus having a 'droopy' windscreen (sight lines!).

Best of British

With the Jubilee and Olympics on the horizon, the V&A's British Design 1948 - 2012 exhibition takes a timely look at the impact of British culture across the globe.

Working across 8 decades and countless disciplines, the exhibition displays many wonderful examples of leading British design. From the Festival of Britain in 1951, 60's pop culture and 70s punks all the way to the leading lights of today, the exhibition is a great opportunity to absorb the significance of our leading creative industries.

You can find out more information here and view a great film about British design in 2012 here

Pick Me Up 2012

This weekend sees the last chance to visit Pick Me Up at Somerset House. 

Pick Me Up is a great contemporary graphic art fair celebrating the best in UK design and illustration. It's a fine chance to enjoy inspiring design in a fantastic setting. 

More information is available here

Will White Photography

Here's a brief glimpse of the new identity we are currently developing for photographer and good friend Will White.

More images to come soon...