What inspires me?
For me it's seeing and appreciating the perfect solution to a problem.
Growing up in Cornwall, Cornish Pasties were a regular treat and at the time I didn't really see them as much more than that, until I learnt that they did of course originate as the answer to the problem of providing tin miners with a nutritious meal to last them throughout the day.
It's true they were small, portable, very filling, and could stay warm for 8-10 hours, meat in one end and a sweet course at the other which contained fruit, jam or treacle. It was the ultimate meal for one where everything was considered, the pasties' thick, wide pastry edges were there for dirty fingers to grip onto and subsequently thrown away to avoid being poisoned by tin or copper dust from the miners' hands.
It was a great design solution to a very real problem. I try to approach every project with the bigger picture in mind and a true measure of its success is when it fulfills its role in the hands of the consumer.
So whenever I'm in need of some inspiration... I reach for a large traditional.
David
