Richard Clarkson

I have always had a great curiosity about why things are the way they are. Since childhood I have been fascinated with colour, materiality, shape & form and have tried to explore how the designer arrived at each particular combination of these elements. I have found that the thinking behind each object tells a story with so much more depth and emotion than the object itself, this ideology is what drives my design process and has begun to define my style of design. While my foundations lie in furniture and industrial product design I also have interests in media and graphic design as well as photography, fashion, painting and architecture.

Along with critical design thinking I have a strong focus on the values of designs, often my work references historical objects whose pride in craftsmanship and durability meant something much more than it does in many of the designs today. When this historical reference is combined with the minimalist digital nature of my design work it creates a ‘harmonious contradiction.’ Core to my design style is this harmonious contradiction theory that certain elements which seem to contradict (a popular example could be eco-friendly vs. low cost of manufacture) can and must harmoniously co-exist and a balance point, it is this point that I strive to find in each of my designs.