Visual Design
2/4/26 • 1 min read
I’ve had to dust off Python skills together with learning R as part of my postgrad course. It has been a while since I’ve had to code anything in anger but it’s a pleasure to be able to pick up projects from GitHub and play with them or reverse engineer them to understand methods. I’m a big fan of scripting, particularly with work flows as it then allows me to make better mistakes elsewhere.
A project I came across recently which unites Python and GIS is Ankur Gupta’s map project which is focused on generating aesthetically styled map posters from geographic data. It fetches geographic data (OpenStreetMap) and processes it with mapping libraries such as OSMnx and matplotlib.
It’s well documented and focused on aesthetics versus functionality but might be interesting if you care about aesthetics and engaging readers of your work.
1/31/26 • 1 min read
Google Labs have announced Google Genie- an early research prototype powered by their Genie 3 model that lets users create and explore infinitely diverse worlds.
It’s US only at the moment and accessed as part of an AI Ultra account subscription but there is a gallery of demo content that gives a sense of the possibilities.
Essentially, users are able to design characters and worlds using text and visual prompts. Nano Banana Pro generates an image preview that can be refined and once complete, users are able to enter the environment which is generated in real-time as you move around.
I can think of a few use cases in terms of immersive simulations and emergency planning training, but it’s probably also very useful for gaming environment design and film making in terms of set visualisation and shot design.
But if you’ve ever harboured an ambition to transform yourself into a fish, ant or paper plane, this may be for you.
1/21/26 • 1 min read
In Water of the Sky, artist Miya Ando offers a rich, bilingual visual dictionary for rain. Through a collection of 2,000 Japanese words, their English interpretations, and 100 drawings, Ando describes the breadth and diversity of rain’s many expressions: when it falls, how it falls, and how its observer might be transformed physically or emotionally by its presence. The words range from prosaic to esoteric, extending from the meteorological (mukaame, or “very fine rain that falls in spring”) to the mystical (bunryūu, or “rain that splits a dragon’s body in half”) and from the minute (kisame, or “raindrops that fall off the leaves and branches of trees”) to the vast (takuu, or “blessed rain that quenches all things in the universe”).
This reminds me of the claim that Eskimo words for snow are unusually numerous, particularly in contrast to English. It’s a cliché commonly used to support the controversial linguistic relativity hypothesis (Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis).
You can find Ando on Instagram as well for more of her indigo drawings.
1/11/26 • 1 min read
Harriet Richardson wrote an interesting article in Design Week - “Design courses are failing everyone”
It’s a critical reflection of the tertiary education environment in the UK within a design context and how universities in Britain are funded. Richardson also reflects on the ramifications for faculty and the learning environment for other students. I’d argue it’s a critique that is applicable far beyond design courses.
I have been cautious not to quote out of context for fear of being misunderstood or misrepresenting the original author, much as she acknowledges the concern in her article. I’d encourage you to read her article in full on the link above.
1/1/26 • 1 min read
You may not know Jon Hicks but you’ve likely seen his work as the graphic designer of Firefox, MailChimp and Shopify logos.
In 2012, he published a book entitled ‘The Icon Handbook’ - it’s a great primer and culimination of two years of work and guides you through the process of designing icons - from identifying an appropriate metaphor to drawing symbols through to the practicalities of implementation. Best of all, he is providing it free of charge on the basis that quite a lot of the content has aged although that does not apply to many of the foundational principles.
Even if you’re not interested in creating your own icons, the chapters on history, metaphor and use are valuable and accessible to a non-design audience.
Warning systems rely on icons to overcome language barriers and issues with translation so understanding the design process can only inform better briefs and more effective design.
12/20/25 • 2 min read
Vol.co, an imprint of Thames & Hudson delivered Woman at Work today. I was a backer of the production so got to see my name immortalised in print in the special edition.
Margaret Calvert is one of the most important British graphic designers of our time. Her groundbreaking work on the signs for the British national road network means that it is almost impossible to travel anywhere in the UK and not benefit from her ultra-clear typography and cheerful pictograms. Her work has provided the gold standard for international highway directional signs. In a parallel career she became an inspirational teacher at the Royal College of Art, where for nearly four decades she taught a generation of graphic designers, many of them going on to establish worldwide reputations.
Born in South Africa in 1936, Margaret came to the UK with her mother and sister in 1950. After studying illustration and printmaking at Chelsea School of Art, she was invited by visiting tutor Jock Kinneir to assist him on designing the signs for Gatwick Airport (she had just turned 21). When Kinneir was put in charge of designing a new system for British road signs, it was the beginning of a long working partnership that led to the creation of the now famous road signing for the motorways alongside a complementary approach for the entire network, including pictograms, and onto work for the British Airports Authority, British Rail and the Tyne and Wear Metro in 1980. Margaret designed the lettering for the latter project, which is now available from Monotype as the Calvert typeface.