Inspiration

As an ID professional with a leaning towards the more technical aspects of industrial design, from time to time I feel a need to refresh my creative thinking, get new ideas, open myself up to new forms. Over the years my designs have moved from rather a geometric, almost cubist style towards more organic and free flowing forms.

Whilst I recognise that I am very much a "form follows function" thinker, in order to bring more creativity into my consultancy practice, I employ various people where a client needs a more free thinking or conceptual approach.

For personal inspiration I often find I turn not to a fellow industrial designer but to artists and in particular sculptors who also work in a 3D world but at arguably a higher level of right brain thinking.

One such sculptor I often look to is my good friend Andrew Thomas whose work can be found at http://www.3dsculptor.com/ . Andy's work sometimes puzzles me, sometimes surprises me and occasionally I have a little aversion when I see a juxtaposed design such as "Reason", that I often find turns gently and slowly to admiration.

In fact I solicited Andy's advice whilst working on the Keebunga project for James Williams. Although the form of the Keebunga project was dictated by its function, some of its detailing owes a little of its aesthetics to the inspiration of Andrews "Unity" and "Hidden Depths".

So my advice to aspiring students, amateurs and seasoned professionals alike is, get down to your local museum, go to the library and borrow some books, immerse yourself in a creative world beyond supermarket shelves stacked with steam irons, jug kettles and coffee makers. If you do I guarantee it'll change the way you look at design, the way you create, you'll become better and I wager happier too.