This year we have been instructed to define our own ‘brand’, in relation to the direction we wish to pursue within the industry.  This feels quite daunting as I have only just begun to realise what it is I do and don’t enjoy, as well as where my strengths and weaknesses lie.

Throughout my degree course I have been extremely lucky to have access to the fabrication department, which has opened my eyes to numerous materials; each with their own unique properties and characteristics.  Workshops are timetabled and staff are readily available for consultations, if we chose to experiment further, or want to produce samples or prototypes.  Over the course of the first and second years I discovered where my true passion lies; in making.  The practical side is definitely what attracted me to the course initially, as there are few, if any, similar degree courses currently being run in the UK.  Looking back, perhaps I was a little naive as to how much IT would be involved, or what my own ideas of an interior designer were.  It certainly has been a steep learning curve.

Over the past two years it has become clearer to me that I enjoy the practical making side of the design process a great deal, and this is the direction in which I would want my brand to take.  I certainly appreciate the value and benefits of technology and I have become adept in a number of computer programmes, such as Sketchup and Autocad.  However, for me I think there needs to be a happy medium.  The ideas for my designs generally stem from experimentation with materials and fabrication.  Personally I would struggle to come up with a design purely in a two dimensional medium, without having first explored three dimensional matter.  Obviously every designer is different; it’s just a case of working out what inspires and works best for you.

When researching designers who’s practices inspire me, I am always drawn back to Faye Toogood’s work and her approach to design.  I admire the way she has avoided being pigeonholed solely as a furniture designer and works across multiple fields fluidly.  I find her approach very reassuring; that there are broader ways of designing without imposing limitations on yourself and your own creativity.  My own brand would share the same value for hand made objects and crafts within a contemporary context.  Reading Juhani Pallasmaa’s theories about the importance of our sense of touch and a holistic approach to design really resonates with me.  I particularly like this quote;

‘‘Pleasurable objects and buildings mediate an experience of the processes by which the object or structure was made; in a way, they invite the viewer/user to touch the hand of the maker.’’

Juhani Pallasma – The Thinking Hand