Across the UK, many post-industrial towns and seaside high streets feel tired — dominated by charity shops, low-investment chain stores, and shuttered units. This lack of vibrancy erodes civic pride, reduces footfall, and discourages entrepreneurship.
Spend any time in Japan and it becomes obvious why so many designers treat it like a pilgrimage. It isn’t just the neon of Shinjuku or the minimalism of Muji that draws them in. It’s something more fundamental: a culture of care that seeps into every interaction, every sign, and every surface.
Here's a slightly random list of cool and unusual things I've done over the years. If you find yourself chatting to me at a conference, party or social event and are unsure what to talk about, feel free to pick something from this list to ask me about.
After 15 years growing Clearleft, today is my last day at this wonderful company. I’ve spent the past few years working on my succession plan. First by putting a new leadership team in place, and then by transitioning the company to employee ownership. As such, I’m leaving Clearleft on an excellent footing, and with a bright future ahead.
I’ve always been somebody who has favoured experiences over objects. The buzz you get from buying a nice watch or a fancy pair of shoes fades pretty quickly, even if the utility remains. However the memories you form from that city break to New York or that diving holiday in the Maldives last a lifetime, or at least until you memory starts to fail. Research into the field of hedonic psychology backs this up. There’s a general belief that you get more bang for your hedonic buck when buying experiences over material positions—just one of the many things our Millennial friends have got sussed.
I grew up in a pretty standard working class family. My father was a glazier while my mother looked after me and my two brothers. We lived in a nice, 3 bedroom council house, on a friendly estate. My parents worked hard to give me access to things they didn’t have as children. That meant a home full of books, weekend trips to museums, and regular holidays.