30 June, 2009
Should you be concerned?
You should certainly be informed and in a position to make up your own mind about the current economic climate. A recent conversation with an acquaintance got me thinking. 
06 June, 2007
Creative thinking
There can be few senior people in organisations who believe there are any simple solutions to today’s complex and elastic questions, but they do need answers nonetheless. What they fear most and what they often get from conventional avenues of enquiry are not answers but, frustratingly, yet more questions.
December 10, 2009
Lindsay Seers - Black Maria
Completely joined up, well thought out and beautifully presented, if that’s not enough Lindsay’s work had an overwhelming honesty and that was a shared characteristic of many of the artists in this show. I see from the catalogue that Black Maria was Thomas Edison’s first film production studio and that makes perfect sense.
30 September, 2009
Long firm by Jake Arnott
The Long Firm was Jake Arnott’s first novel and as such is a very accomplished work. It traces the life of a London villain over 30 years and is a real education in the subtleties of villainy. Interwoven are references to real people which helps to make it feel authentic, but what best illustrates the author’s skill is the changing language and attitudes he portrays over the three decades.
30 September, 2009
Why I invest time and effort
No one will argue with the fact that Britain is a great place for creative talent or that we let others exploit it to reap the financial rewards. We have scored some spectacular own-goals in this area and I want to do something about it.
30 September, 2009
Set to succeed?
Not surprisingly I have met a lot of designers and artists over the years, some ambitious, others less so, some with massive talents and others good enough to succeed without the huge ego that often accompanies the most talented. Despite the wide range I fancy I can guess their chances of success without getting to know them well. There are some traits that I think make a difference, some of which we can influence, others we have to be born with.
30 September, 2009
Autumn Trade Shows
Autumn is a busy time for many reasons, holidays are out of the way and the onset of winter puts people in the mood to get busy. It is the start of the new academic year, the new parliamentary session, business moves into the all-important ‘fourth quarter’ and the festive season is near. It is prime time for trade shows where buyers stock up on what they think will sell in the coming months.
30 September, 2009
Addicted to TV?
We all know the feeling at the end of a ‘lost’ evening's viewing, and there can be no doubt that teenagers find the TV compulsive and channel hopping addictive but are producers deliberately encouraging this trait? Can you really become addicted to that benign box that sits in front of you, giving it more and more of your precious time?
October 4, 2009
It is not easy to convince organisations that they should make an investment in creative resources — these can range from an in-house art department to a catalogue of royalty earners and even when they do, attitudes can be counter-productive.
October 4, 2009
Service auditing — measuring the quality, efficiency and value of creative suppliers. Broadly speaking there are two groups, those that work for the organisation in-house and those that supply services, either as individuals or contractors.
February 8, 2010
Is it getting harder to say what you really think about design when there is so much hype around?
October 4, 2009
There is nothing like the real thing and I avoid talking about aspects of business I have not experienced first hand.
This particular experience you might find interesting as it demonstrates a point I often make about where to find profit.
October 4, 2009
Francis Towne achieved virtually no recognition from his contemporaries in his lifetime, but today his watercolours are regarded as ‘some of the most ravishing of their time’.
October 4, 2009
How it improves results through clearer, better focused better communication. Speaking creative means using a language with a specific group of people - creative types - to communicate with them more effectively in order to achieve a better result.
October 4, 2009
Extremely loud & incredibly close
This novel is the story of an eight year old boy’s search for his father lost in the World Trade Centre disaster of September 11th.
The author tells the majority of the story through the experiences of the young boy and his search to find the lock to fit a key he believes his father has left him as a clue to his fate. He captures the personality of an odd-ball kid in a totally convincing manner. There is a lot of father and son stuff in this book.
October 4, 2009
Susanna Gregory is a prolific writer, researcher and academic and I wish I had known that fact before embarking on The Butcher because it would have overcome a difficulty I had with the book which lessened my enjoyment.
1 March, 2010
Synesthesia is a unique sensory phenomenon
People who are affected by it experience the blending or interaction of two or more of their senses – touch, taste, hearing, smell and vision. I have a type of synesthesia and use it to come up with new ideas and connections.
1 March, 2006
There has been a renaissance in the creative world; good thinking and good design are once again much valued and the disciplines of design research are being applied to a wider set of challenges. It may surprise you to learn that this has not always been the case.
October 4, 2009
It’s that funny phenomenon where if virtual beings aren’t quite right they can be very scary. When they are less right they can be very amusing, even loveable.