
creative director, writer and consultant working with design and urbanism as open platforms
London, United Kingdom

creative director, writer and consultant working with design and urbanism as open platforms
London, United Kingdom
I work with global partners, cities and companies to design strategies and create projects using open source methodologies and hybrid thinking, most recently being commissioned by Nissan to create their upcoming Designing Inspiration at Cube Lounge program in London.
I am the author of “Finding the Truth in Systems: In Praise of Design Hacking”, commissioned and published by The Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA), London, October 2009. In 2008 I created the Urban Play project for the city of Amsterdam in collaboration with Droog Design to transform areas of the city into platforms for design interventions. Recent engagements include IKEA Hacker (Oslo, Norway, August 2009), and advising the Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong, September 2009).
From 2003-2006 I directed numerous projects including Will Alsop’s SuperCity to rethink future urban options for post-industrial cities, 'The China Show’ exploring contemporary design and creativity in China, 'Urban Oasis' with Berlin’s Office for Subversive Architecture, and ‘At Home’ with Peter Saville while Creative Director of the Urbis Centre for Urban Culture. Other credits include directing the acclaimed Ill Communication street art exhibition series and large-scale collaborations with Stefan Sagmeister, NL Architects, London’s National Theatre, and citywide projects in London, Montreal, Prague, and Barcelona.
I lecture and write frequently on open approaches and platforms for design and urbanism, and have addressed the International Conference on European Policy, the World Urban Development Congress, among other international bodies. I am a guest lecturer at institutions including Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design, London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. My writing credits include contributions to numerous periodicals, co-authoring the book Visualizing the City, Routledge Press 2008, and most recently a feature on urban design hacks for CITY, Sydney, Australia.
+ Concept creation and creative strategy resulting in global media attention
+ Generative and open source methodologies to create platforms for engagement and innovation
+ New models for the creativity economy
+ Seasoned global media commentator
+ Creative Strategist, Director and Lecturer, always game for new explorations
(Design industry)
March 2009 — Present (9 months)
Design Trust is a global initiative to explore the relationship between design and trust in the products and services we use, from food to finance. Design Trust explores how to we can renew our trust in design, and ultimately if trust itself can be designed.
(Information Services industry)
July 2006 — Present (3 years 5 months)
I work with global partners, cities and companies to design strategies and create projects using open source methodologies and hybrid thinking, most recently being commissioned by Nissan to create their upcoming Design Inspiration series in London.
I am the author of “Finding the Truth in Systems: In Praise of Design Hacking”, commissioned and published by The Royal Society for Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA), London, October 2009. In 2008 I created the Urban Play project for the city of Amsterdam in collaboration with Droog Design to transform areas of the city into platforms for design interventions. Recent engagements include IKEA Hacker (Oslo, Norway, August 2009), and advising the Hong Kong Museum of Art (Hong Kong, September 2009).
I lecture and write frequently on open approaches and platforms for design and urbanism, and have addressed the International Conference on European Policy, the World Urban Development Congress, among other international bodies. I am a guest lecturer at institutions including Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design, London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. My writing credits include contributions to numerous periodicals, co-authoring the book Visualizing the City, Routledge Press 2008, and most recently a feature on urban design hacks for CITY, Sydney, Australia.
(Privately Held; Design industry)
July 2006 — January 2009 (2 years 7 months)
Urban Play is an international open source urban design project. In its Amsterdam version, I invited 12 designers from around the world to design creative catalysts for people to personally interact with and contribute to along the waterfront of Amsterdam. It was the Creative City, made real.
In addition to the design project, I curated the largest exhibition of 3D / Guerrilla Urban Design, featuring 19 international artists.
Urban Play creates a series of catalysts to inspire people to be creative in the city, to stimulate debate about creativity in the city and the way this might differ from city to city. Future versions await...
(Design industry)
June 2007 — December 2008 (1 year 7 months)
I devised and developed the concept for the 2009 Montreal Biennale, employing open source methodology to create the Biennale's content, as well as art directing their new logo, website and creative strategies working across design, art, architecture, film and music.
(International Affairs industry)
July 2006 — April 2008 (1 year 10 months)
London-based Creative Services consulting and strategy. Clients included Nokia, Weiden + Kennedy, MTV Europe
(Non-Profit; 51-200 employees; Museums and Institutions industry)
June 2003 — July 2006 (3 years 2 months)
At Urbis I established and directed “Ill Communication”, one of Europe’s largest explorations of street art; ‘SuperCity’, a multi-disciplinary collaboration with architect Will Alsop to completely re-think the future of the urban environment; Urban Oasis with Berlin’s Office for Subversive Architecture, and At Home, a project created with designer Peter Saville and displayed on billboards throughout the city. Other exhibitions I curated and directed at Urbis include "The China Show", one of the first explorations of contemporary Chinese design and creativity, and "D&AD: the best in advertising and design", an exhibition of D&AD award winners.
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Design industry)
December 1999 — June 2005 (5 years 7 months)
I created and developed a number of large-scale projects for organisations including London's National Theatre and The Royal Society for British Sculptors, and was commissioned by the cities of Barcelona and Prague for a number of projects.