How did you get into design?
Last week we asked three established designers how they had made their way into their current design positions. We discovered how their young family life shaped both Pernille Stafford and Alex Hellum’s journeys into design. We also leant how finding the right scale moved Katerina McMahon away from architecture into the furniture workshop. Read more here.
In this week’s post we delve into the career paths of BroomeJenkins Senior Designer Julian Evens and learn how Ron Arad and Tom Dixon enabled him to narrow down his field of study. We meet Morgan Design Manager Erin Johnson who shows how a single teacher can have a life changing influence and we meet Eleanor Cardwell who’s career moved her from fine art into her current position as PR & Marketing Manager at Newmor Wallcoverings.
Julian Evens: Senior Designer at BroomeJenkins
My path toward a design career began in school where I chose art biased subjects for my options. At this time I wanted to be a graphic designer leaving school at 16 to study general art and design at college. It wasn’t until my second year at art college that I discovered the work of Ron Arad, Tom Dixon and others who were part of the creative salvage movement. The energy of this really excited me and a trip to Ron Arads showroom “One Off” sealed my fate as a furniture designer. From here I pursued furniture design to degree and post graduate level, at Bucks college. My first design job was at Verco, which focussed my career toward contract furniture design, something I continued at Staverton and SBFI when I moved to Brighton. However, I always wanted to work in consultancy and finally found a perfect role at BroomeJenkins where I get the chance to work for industry leaders such as Boss Design, Bisley and Herman Miller.
Erin Johnson: Design Manager at Morgan
Inspired by a great technology teacher at school, was where my love for design and specifically furniture began- fantastic Mr Nash. Combined with my love of fine art, I was able to combine my passion for furniture and colour when I progressed to Ravensbourne and then on to Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College where real workshops existed, and, to study a degree in furniture design specifically. These workshops were full of old yet sturdy machines, which was the heritage and foundation of furniture in High Wycombe and gave me the best start to my career.
After graduation, I worked in London for a lighting designer where I learned how to plan lighting schemes, detail architectural plans, design lighting units and the electrical internal wiring, liaising with manufacturers from around the world.
I then joined Morgan in October 2008 as part of a fast paced and established team and the rest is history. I very much enjoy being part of the Morgan team and Morgan Studio and I wouldn’t swap my team for anything!
Eleanor Cardwell: PR & Marketing Manager at Newmor Wallcoverings
I graduated from an undergraduate degree in Fine Art, and Master’s in Book Arts. I got my first job as Sales & Marketing Assistant for lighting company, Besselink & Jones at Chelsea Harbour Design Centre. I loved working for a British manufacturer, where I watched the designs going through every stage of production. I used to do all the technical drawings and even helped to design a collection of hand-painted lamps.
I was then lucky enough to get an internship at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Centre in the US, marketing their artists’ book collection. When I came back to London I got a job doing window displays at Westfield London which was great fun, and I learned some really useful styling and composition skills.
Now I’m PR & Marketing Manager at Newmor Wallcoverings. I really enjoy promoting a brand who design and manufacture in the UK. I work from home in London and travel to the factory in Wales every month. I write all the blog posts, manage the social media accounts and website, I’m on the product development team, create all of the room set imagery and photography, and we have recently launched a new concept, Newmor Designer, which I manage.