Collection of collages based on DMT journeys. Visual landscape were created on Pinterest boards, printed out, then used are source materials for these pieces. Below are links to my Pinterest boards, with a section for each trip.

Backstage of Life

Rainbow Space Void

Carnivalesque Entrance

Magic Genie Lamp

Garden Between Time

I’ve always enjoyed creating art, sometimes for galleries and exhibitions, and sometimes just for the hell of it. I enjoy the experience of playing with different mediums whether digital or physical. I never limit myself to what I can and cannot do or create, and try my best to just enjoy the experience rather than getting too caught up in the outcome.

Most of my work is very process driven in one way or another, creating systems in which the outcome has a life of its own. I am fascinated by nature and the way in which such amazing beauty and complexity comes from such simplicity. In reality, there’s a natural drive towards creation, so I see my role as kind of gardener, helping things happen, as opposed to making things happen.

I’ve got a lot of projects in the wings at the moment, waiting for the right time, place and people to make them happen. I’ve got some interesting video projects planned, based around the use of time-lapse, feedback loops and growing materials. I’m aiming to produce a couple of 30 second shorts in 2015 to test out the concepts.

Another big project of mine is to build a Victorian drawing machine called a Harmonograph. It’s essentially a big spirogram machine which uses pendulums attached to pen and paper to draw out oscillating patterns. I plan to create a space where people can create their own harmonograph images, then sign and sell them for charity. I’m thinking of building it in Portugal and setting it up in Morocco next winter. 

I’ve already done some interesting tests, taking these harmonograph images, scanning them and laser cutting them into different materials. I’m planning to create a set of beautiful laser etched patterns on smoked glass, and setting them in LED backlit wall mounted boxes.

I’m really interested in the [freespace] movement which is an experiment in what is possible when a community shares the gift of physical space. A [freespace] is a gathering place for people to come together, to create, teach, learn, and share the things which they are truly passionate about, and strengthen connections between individuals as well as communities through art, events, and long term projects.

I’m no photographer, but I enjoy capturing images and ideas. I’m interested in processes and using lenses to see what the eye cannot. I’ll never be a person to study and become refined at any one thing, however I appreciate disciplines which allows me understand people with specialised talents like photography.

In the summer of 2016 I plan to create a month long time-lapse of Nowhere festival. The festival is based around the principles of Burning Man, and is set in the desert landscape of Los Monegros, Spain. I’m looking to put together a team to set up the project, and to capture the festival from empty desert, to party town, to empty desert again, encapsulating the ephemeral nature of it all.

I heard on the grapevine that a guy I knew was planning to build a boat out of plastic bottles and sail from Spain to Italy. At the time I was in Morocco with nothing better to do with my life, so I skyped him and hopped on the next plane to Barcelona. Five months and 1200 plastic bottles later we’d build 3 giant junk boats, were dressed as pirates and ready to set sail… well kind of.

In the end we realised we’d bitten off more than we could chew, and opted to do a 500k trip down the river Ebro in Spain. With a full crew of 20 rummed up pirates we made 100k, 5 towns, 5 fire-shows before mutiny struck. We didn’t quite make Italy, or even the sea but we learnt a lesson or two!

Communal living and communal projects are tough, and humbling. Everyone got involved for different reasons, and everyone came out with different lessons. Politics at any level are only real when you play the game and get involved, it’s more than just ticking boxes and letting people choose for you. We lived the highs and lows, working as a team throughout and formed some pretty strong bonds.

The materials we were building with were rubbish to some people, building materials to us, but real lifelines for people in many poor countries. I learnt humility and respect for all materials, both consumption and waste, and that lesson stuck with me. I’m really interested in up-cycling technologies in poor countries, seeing what people are creating out of necessity, and learning from their resourceful approaches. 

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• three junk boats
• brand identity
• website
• campaign videos
• campaign crowd funding
• campaign facebook
• campaign blogging
• music & fire performances
• up-cycled artwork
• up-cycled workshops

Some friends and I took on the challenge of sailing around Indonesia for 7 months, starting off in Queensland, Australia. As keen surfers we had the chance of surfing some classic spots, as well as exploring some pretty uncharted breaks. It was an incredible way to travel, we took on crew here and there, and had time to get to know Indonesia and its people. 

During this time I purchased a 360 Fly video camera to document some of the trip. It was a good chance to play around with the technology on a personal level, catching elements of the trip in a new medium. On return I then edited the footage and uploaded it to a FB page, where it’s accessble by both phone and VR glasses.  

Watch the 360°VR videos on Facebook

My life tends to revolve around surfing and taking on projects, I live between the UK, southern Europe and Morocco so having a van makes things a lot simpler. It’s been a real ongoing project of mine, year by year fixing it up and adding what I need. My van originally started its life as an AA breakdown van before I bought it in 2011.

It’s been a real organic project, starting with the basics and building up from there. T4’s are pretty small vans so the main focus has always been utilising space and creating something practical. Most camper van conversions are based around seats folding out to a beds, but designing a bench/bed system freed up a lot of valuable space.

I’m currently researching solar technology, and plan to have power in the van in time for the summer before driving south. Also I’ve got some nice ideas for a LED lighting system using recycled wood.

BUILD TASKS
• flooring
• insulation
• carpeting
• folding bench/bed
• speaker box
• surfboard straps
• leather blinds
• shelving
• fabrics

I’ve always had a passion for making things with my hands, and working with all kinds of materials whether wood, metal, leather or fabrics. Each new material offers a world of possibilities, but is essentially the same in principle. Taking on a new material is really about understanding the similarities, communicating with skilled people and just giving it a go.

Organisations like Maker Spaces are helping people build better relations with materials around us, breaking down the view that we simply make money to buy things we need, as opposed to making or repairing things we need. I believe the more people interact directly with the things around them, the more likely people are to understand the social impact connected to them.

Good friends of mine are currently working on an educational program to bring 3D printing into schools nationally, allowing less privileged schools to have equal access to technologies that are shaping the future. I’m very interested in 3D printing and its social impact, and on a personal level I am always thinking of interesting projects to take into print.

I’ve been designing for a pretty long time now, well over a decade. Here’s a collection of some earlier print work, mostly from when I had my studio in Coventry. I took the warts and all approach to my site, indiscriminately showing everything I’ve ever created. It’s been an interesting process.

I’m pretty experienced in print production, handling everything from simple small scale jobs, to large scale complex jobs with all different kinds of processes. I enjoy the printed medium and am always interested in using it in new and dynamic ways whether integrated in digital campaigns or solely print.

Most of my stronger work has been created over the latter years of my career, whilst contracting for companies. If you would like to see my contract work please email me to request a password to these sections.

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TYPES OF WORK
• fliers
• posters
• prints
• illustrations
• business cards
• letterheads
• books
• magazines
• packaging
• t-shirts
• mechanising
• event banners
• van graphics
• lazer cuts

Branding and logo design has always been a passion of mine, balancing and refining to best fit the job. Over the years though, what has become more important to me are the words and the meaning behind them, finding and often defining the essence of the brands… and from there really hitting the mark.

Writing has become very important to me, understanding that writing a brief with crystal clarify is an art. I believe this refinement process needs to start with writing, then concepts, then design, then production and then letting go and testing without attachment.

I’ve come to see that brands have a life of their own; they’re born, they age, some grow old, some die young and some get re-born. They tell a story, and being aware of this gives them a decent start in life.

This section shows branding work from my own clients. However, many other branding projects can be seen throughout my website within my contract work. If you would like to see my contract work please email me to request a password to these sections.

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I’ve spent a lot of time living and freelancing in Brighton over the years. With a solid creative scene in town I’ve had the chance to work for a broad range of companies. Through experience I have learnt to hit the floor running with projects, learning the ropes quickly with each new company I freelance for.

During this time I freelanced for Hum Interactive, where I had the opportunity to work on some great accounts including Duc d'O chocolatier.

TYPES OF WORK
• branding
• print design
• web design
• illustration
• packaging

Neo is an ethical brand communications agency. I spent many years freelancing for them, seeing both them and the industry grow. It was a good grounding experience that helped me understand my responsibility as a creative person. Working with charities, NGO’s and environmental sectors is tough, there’s not the surplus of cash that there is in the commercial sectors so you have to be smart.

I learnt a great deal about problem solving and creative thinking. I really enjoyed my projects there as they were varied but essentially about helping people. I handled a real variety of work there from print, digital, event production to general DIY work around the place. I quite often handled large scale web projects such as an interesting one for an ethical banking comparison website, but my best work was probably tiling the kitchen!

They’ve got a great team there, and they’re making things happen. Not only that, they’ve got a meeting table that doubles up as a pool table! Although I haven’t freelanced for them in a while I still tag along at their Christmas party each year. Since first working with them in 2005 I am pleased to see a real trend in ethical agencies.

MY ROLE
• graphic design
• project management
• DIY dogsbody

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• branding
• print design
• illustration
• magazines
• packaging
• websites
• e-newsletters
• event production

After the second year of Playgroup Festival an opportunity arose to invest in a music venue. We did a full re-vamp of the space, giving the festival a permanent home in Brighton. Having a base allowed us to put on a broad range of events including gigs, cabarets, workshops, markets and socials. During the daytime it was run as a coffee shop, selling the best coffees in town.

I focused mostly on branding and design-monkey type work, alongside a mix of creative projects and events. Generally there was always something that needed to be done yesterday, and the office upstairs was always buzzing with ridiculously impossible ideas. It was at this time that I realised my real calling in life was to play soul, blues and terrible wedding music… DJ DADSTEP was born!

With live music six days a week, I immersed myself in the lifestyle, meeting so many talented folk day to day. Alongside all the musicians and performers we always had a wicked new graff wall outside, usually by www.sinnaone.com. With loads of highs and lows, we learnt a huge amount over this period, including knowing when to curb the drinking!

MY ROLE
• in-house design
• marketing support
• business support

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• event decor
• event plans
• interior design
• brand identify
• posters
• fliers
• coupons
• beer labels
• FB graphics

This project all started with a stupid joke, and it went from there. Whilst running Antjam my old design agency we’d taken on a project to promote a new range of low rider bikes. The bike company was made up of four directors with four big personalities, and before long it had turned into a real cat herding job.

Every time any one of them missed their deliverable or messed up they would say "it weren’t me, it’s the bosses fault". That’s when the project clicked, before they knew it their entire company brand and marketing campaign was based around their mysterious boss. However things went bad, their boss was shot, and each of them became suspects in his murder!

And together we created an interactive murder mystery comic caper. It was a really amazing project to work on, with a great team including the super talented Jam Mustafa on illustration and Cassie Leedham on script writing. We had some of the funniest meetings, joking around and building the characters around each of their character flaws!

MY ROLE
• art direction & design
• print & web production
• project management
• copy writing

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• brand identity
• website
• CMS system
• e-commerce
• booklet
• fliers

Over the winters of 2013 and 2014 I spent time working as manager of a friend’s surf hostel in Morocco. I really enjoyed the mix of work as my role covered everything from setting up new booking systems, to general handyman work, to surf guiding and hosting guests.

I feel lucky to call Taghazout a home of mine, with world class surf breaks up and down the coast. I’ve had time to really get to know the culture and all its quirks, broadening my perspective on the rest of my life. I really enjoy being a part of small communities and all the ups and downs that go with it.

Surfing’s underpinned a lot of my life and has given me reason to see a lot of the world. I’m always ready to hop on the next adventure, I want to take on a surfing/sailing trip in the South Pacific within the next few years. Also, I’m keeping my ear to the ground with regards to commercial design projects within this area.

TASKS
• emails
• bookings
• facebook
• cooking
• DIY work
• entertaining
• surf guiding
• excursions

In the spring of 2010 I got chatting with a guy in a Brighton coffee shop who was starting a festival. I went to the festival, loved it, and ended up part of the dysfunctional family. Through great friendships together we put on some amazing festivals. My role covered everything from art direction to festival planning, from business strategy to running the games area at the festival each year.

What was special about our festival was the concept. Each year every ticket would come with one of eight different character cards based round a theme, a bit like a murder mystery night. Then all the character groups were brought into different interactive narratives and games throughout the festival, connecting people in all kinds of fun and silly ways.

Our festivals, events and our pub were all about community. Bringing together amazingly creative people from around the south-east to share their love of music, art and performance in a light-hearted way. In terms of design and vision, it was great to have free rein and unconditional trust, no matter how stupid the ideas were!

MY ROLE
• art direction & design
• print & web production
• games area lead
• marketing support
• business support
• copy writing

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• brand identity
• foldout posters
• standard posters
• character cards
• fake money
• websites
• promo videos
• e-newsletters
• web banners
• FB graphics
• festival decor
• festival signage
• interactive games
• letters
• adverts
• tickets
• wristbands
• passes

I took on a consultancy contract with Digicave in the summer of 2012. I was called in primarily to assist on a couple of large projects whilst helping them prepare for the NAB show in Vegas. Digicave had developed a technology to capture photo quality 3D content via large photo arrays and complex algorithms. They coined the term Sculptural Photography.

They were one of the first companies in the world to be capturing 3D content with light, as opposed to recreating objects in CGI. The application of the 3D content ranged from augmented reality product promos, museum learning experiences, high-end fashion captures to real time zombie games across London. I lead the creative on a number of projects as well as bringing together their portfolio and website for the show.

My time with Digicave was amazing, having a chance to see things of the future and even help make a few happen. My first task there was to develop their brand strategy, out of which the aims and objects formed the basis of my work. I was part of something very special and my technical experiences with Digicave have been invaluable to my career and outlook on technology.

MY ROLE
• design strategy
• project management
• art direction & design

MATERIAL PRODUCED
• portfolio website
• augmented reality apps
• interactive posters
• brand development
• event production

I’m learning not to be too critical of my digital work, everything is from its time, and times are changing. Websites are becoming more and more disposable, as are the words. We used to skim read websites, now we’re skimming the skim reading, and becoming less aware of who’s even writing.

Selling something to someone is one thing, but really conveying something important is a whole other thing. I’m becoming more and more interested in the product, not the packaging and I do my best to spend a portion of my time working for things I really believe in.

In terms of design for web, I’m interested in the value of the content, and creating designs that best hold that content in the most fitting way. I believe in understanding how and why people view the information, and bringing these thoughts into every design decision.

Accessibility interests me, HTML 5 is starting to bring back more traditional values of web culture, and in a way more traditional editorial style content. These old websites in this section obviously don’t show this thinking, but more contemporary digital work can be found throughout contract sections of my work, please email me for the password.

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