As a product designer engineer, I’m the first to admit sales and marketing was not my strong point! I started my business, Recoil Knee Pads, in 2013 after my Dad, a joiner, complained of problems with his knees. At the age of 48, he’s been in the trades industry for the past 33 years, he’s an extremely skilled tradesman, but a lifetime in the trades has started to take its toll. He complained that the current knee pads for work he used, weren’t comfortable, and weren’t pract

I had an idea in 2007. I wanted to start my own design company. I had 23 years’ experience working with some fantastic creative directors and designers within the industry and in March 2007, just before the birth of my daughter in October, I decided to go it alone. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. Time to start my own design business I said, I have enough experience right? So I did. With the luxury of having a retained client under my belt straight way, I was luc

Well, it’s been such a busy time in atom HQ over the past seven years or so, but I thought it was about time to get my new website online. Take the time to design my website I said to myself, ‘that won’t take long’ I heard the voices say. Yeh right. Almost exactly one year later and it’s finally done. Good thing is, I have managed to pull together some nice pieces of design work to showcase on this new website, alongside some old pieces of work that I still like. So, I though

Why do some people see value in the humble logo and some people see cost? I think it fundamentally comes down to how much they value the design process within their own business. Accessible software, crowd sourcing and computers make it easy for everyone to be a logo designer these days. But I think these systems have completely devalued the process that industry stalwarts like Saul Bass have built into the process of designing a logo. Hell, even the client themselves sometim

Read this with the tune of Baz Luhrmann’s Sunscreen song in your head. Calling all business owners – welcome to a small guide to designing a logo. I will dispense this advice now. Please realise the importance of a well executed, refined and relevant logo/brand identity and the value it can bring to you and your business if researched and designed by a professional designer. Hire a professional. You are not as good at design as you think you are. However, if you are going to