Hi — I’m Squigs
Get to know me
The less you own,
the more freedom you have.
That may be a counterintuitive belief to hold for someone who wants to design products for mass-production [and therefore, consumption], but I believe in designing things to last - like a long, rewarding relationship that you can’t help telling everyone about. It provides an opportunity to design for longevity — allow a product to age, wear & weather to produce marks that tell a story & build character. Patina produces personality.
WHO—I—am
I am a student of Industrial Design at RMIT.
Before that I was an Urban Planner & Designer.
How I landed in Industrial Design as my career of choice for the next 30+ years can be traced back via a little introspection around a bench, a bike, and a teaspoon.
Actually, no. It started with a lift panel.
The Camden Bench [2012]
While studying my Master’s in Urban Planning I came across the Camden Bench. A type of ‘unpleasant design’ — an object made to be uncomfortable — it is intended to be used, but only to provide temporary rest to passers-by. This is the first time I appreciated the power of design to alter one’s experience.
Bikes, Bikes & More Bikes [2015-Current]
I worked in the city, but I don’t like paying for public transport, so I bought a bike. Then I bought another. Then another. I gradually started to tinker with them to keep them operational and save money…so I could buy more bikes. I quickly became obsessed with the bicycle as a mechanism and canvas for design.
The Humble Spoon [2016]
I love coffee. I used to go each morning to my local cafe to drink a double expresso and watch the early-morning traffic go by. I would often fiddle with the spoon that accompanied the coffee, so much so that eventually I caught wind of my habit and began inspecting the spoon — who knew a spoon could have such dynamism - shapely, weighty, balanced, crafted.
Lift Panel Housing [1998-ish]
I had an epiphany when I decided to pursue Industrial Design, and that was to do with a recollection I had when I was little — I entered a lift with my parents to see the button panel hanging off the wall, held up by the cables behind. A service technician was fixing it, after which the panel would be replaced, but in that moment it looked messy. I thought: “Why can’t the cables be neatly arranged in a housing”. This was my first design idea — ever. A sub-housing for the housing — genius. Maybe.