About Us a lifetime of experience

"I have spent my entire working career in the business of design, from finding out what is important to people, creating ideas to fulfil needs, and turning those ideas into actual products that make people's lives better. My recent work being part of a great team designing prosthetic limbs for amputees and specialist seating for children with physical disabilities has been particularly fulfilling. These products really do make a difference".

As time has gone on, the balance of my work has shifted towards designing and making. It's probably the purest form of design as you personally have control over every aspect of the design process. There can be few more satisfying feelings than turning your own ideas into the finished article. All created with your own two hands. To then have someone love your work enough to actually buy it, is a feeling I want to repeat, over and over.

In a career as long as mine, you can't help but get involved in truly ground breaking work. Invariably it is a team effort. Innovation often involves many individuals pooling knowledge and experience, bouncing ideas off one another, the sum of the results the greater for the collaboration. However, to innovate on ones own is more difficult I think. You are alone with your own thoughts and ideas and it is often difficult to step back and look at the potential with a critical eye.

Designing the Artist Pencil has provided me with a worthy challenge. The solution, so simple and elegant, has been a joy to work on. It's fun to make, it fully meets my own brief and I truly believe that in its own small way, it makes a contribution to eco thinking. It's never easy to redesign something as simple as this, but that makes the result all the sweeter.

My immediate goals are to develop the Artist Pencil and several associated and complimentary products. I have a single aim, help people tap into their own creativity with tools that encourage them be the best they can.

"My career couldn't have been more different than Steve's. From frontline health screening, to specialist walking holidays, the businesses I've worked for may be diverse, but the common thread for me has always been the customer. Completely focussed on the people the business was reliant on. My empathetic approach to these relationships has been the backbone of my work ethic".

Through the years I have been involved to a greater or lesser degree in Deepdale Design. I have naturally helped deal with the day to day admin all businesses require, but that hasn't stopped me getting involved with the fun stuff. From traditional saddle stitched leather vessels to digital artworks, I've learnt and applied new skills and have been open to exploring more.

I am now full time Deepdale Design and my current focus is all things wool. Inspired by the iconic, smiling Herdwicks, I soon had my own needle felted flock. With the rustic character of the Herdwick wool, they naturally went on to star in our first range of greetings cards.

Wool has fast become my medium of choice and wet felting and peg loom weaving have since become my creative favourites. You cannot fail to be inspired by this World Heritage landscape and my wet felted vessels and peg loom woven rugs and wall hangings, really do capture a sense of the lakes and fells.

I hope you enjoy the work as much as I do making it.