Diversity of experiences and perspectives is vital precisely because we all have our blind spots. That’s why it’s important for designers to actually engage their audiences and users to get a better understanding of what’s important to them, how they use what you design and how they see and interpret what you create.

There is a preconception that artists and designers exist to decorate and make things pretty. Now, famed designer, Dieter Rams stated "Good design is aesthetic", yet only well-executed products can truly be beautiful. We must think about both form AND function.

We believe in the power of co-design and bringing people together through creativity. WordFest is a month-long festival celebrating words, running throughout May 2023, as part of Wakefield Council's annual festival programme.

We partnered with York Theatre Royal and Little Vikings to bring the outside, inside for Bloom! Festival 2018. Over the course of a sunny Saturday, we illustrated the windows of the theatre and encouraged visitors to join us. We were inspired by the nearby gardens and used this in our drawings.

It was a joy to return to basics last Sunday and enjoy the love and effort which goes into writing an old-fashioned letter. We had the perfect workshop venue (Anthropologie, Leeds) and loveliest guests to collaborate with too!

By working with the creative lifestyle brand, Anthropologie, we created a supportive environment where participants penned letters that combined words, collage and illustration before securing in an equally beautiful envelope. Their happy mail was then ready to pop in the post!