a personal post 

Lately I’ve been working with a company in deep thought and discussion about the way we live and what shapes our lives at home. This made me take a moment to look at myself and think about how certain moments in my life have influenced my design choices and ethos.

I don’t mean to bang on about my health (if I do then I’m sorry) but I recently had a sudden realisation that my health has reinforced some of my beliefs about design. NO I’m not getting spiritual! I’m talking business.

As I have previously mentioned, I live with a brain condition called Hydrocephalus. There is no cure and the treatment involves repeated brain surgeries. As it stands I have nine brain surgeries under my belt and more to come later in life. It’s something I’ve become used to.

Some of the surgeries are to install an implant to regulate my brain pressure. These amazing devices unfortunately can and do fail. The ONLY thing to do when they fail or you suspect a failure ……. yep more brain surgery.

Having a product in my brain that essentially keeps me alive both amazing and a little stressful. Especially when you know that shunts (my brain implant) are never 100% reliable. 

My revelation

My passion for great quality products within design stems from my design education and work experience. I appreciate good design, quality of materials and craftsmanship.

The way I see it. Bad quality products can affect peoples’ lives. For me, it results in a lot of pain and a long recovery period. When I see products (not just medical) with short life spans, poorly made and carelessly thought out, I get so annoyed!

When a designer puts their product into the world, they hold a responsibility for it. A badly designed product can be the cause of many different negative effects and could have consequences for your health, well-being or the environment. So when you see me rolling my eyes at half-arsed design, I’m thinking about impact, responsibility and I’m likely to be pissed off.

I will as always continue to support brands, companies and designers that consider these issues in both design and manufacturing.

Now you know a little bit more about me and why I’m so damn picky.

H x