1 March, 2010
Peter Town is a designer, mentor and artist. He helps people develop their businesses and is an active early-stage investor. He connects people and facilitates collaborations.
Peter Town has vast experience running his own successful design agency; he uses his skills and design approach to find solutions to people's problems. He has worked for some 125 organisations across 20 distinct industry sectors during a 30-year period.
"When I meet a client I am soaking up as much information as I can. Everything from the ambience of the place, the colour of the carpet through to what they are wearing and the paintings on the wall. I readily pick up signals about the persona of the organisation, what it’s capable of and what’s driving it. Experience allows solutions to form rapidly in my mind from these seemingly unconnected bits of information. I rummage for practical solutions that can be implemented, achievable, workable ideas. I call this synaesthetic problem solving"
Peter Town finds opportunities and makes valuable connections.
June 6, 2006
Peter Town - another side to me
If you only know a little about me it should come as no surprise that I think in pictures, and having spent my time so far as a conceiver and visualiser of ideas, then it follows that painting, photography and generally making marks on surfaces is my natural medium.
A career in graphics has failed to dampen my enthusiasm. I respond positively to anything displaying overtly graphic qualities – strong lines, vibrant colours, abstract shapes.
I work in different media - acrylic, watercolour, pen and ink, computer generated and photography. The subject dictates what I use. I happily move from painting to photography, from animation to film-making and web design. For me, it’s all just a great excuse to play and learn.
It is also refreshing to explore all the digital tools now available to creatives and it is no coincidence that these voyages of exploration often result in helping to take my marketing clients in new directions and to try new techniques.
Taking up painting again after years as a graphic designer has been a great pleasure. The journey to this point started quite sometime ago in the art room at school when I decided that this would be my life.
It was fortunate that I attended Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, often described as Britain's answer to the Bauhaus at an important time when Michael Craig-Martin introduced me to the work of Stella and Albers. I worked with some great inspirational artists, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Jim Dine among them. Terry Frost, Howard Hodgkin, Claes Oldenburg, Michael Horovitz, the poet, and Morton Feldman, the composer, and many other respected international artists visited and lectured while I was a student there.
From there it was on to the Royal College of Art, where I studied graphics and where I worked after graduating for just as long as it took to get my own design studio off the ground. The design business flourished in the ensuing years and it counted many prominent international companies among its clients.
As a synaesthete, I find that landscapes, interior spaces and natural forms can change into abstract, ambiguous and tantalizing shapes, similar to the process I use for solving problems. The quieter abstract images I make are contemplative, they create a tranquil inner space. The primary colours of the 'Stairs' series have an opposite effect.
October 4, 2009
There has been a renaissance in the creative world; good thinking and good design are once again much valued and the disciplines of design research are being applied to a wider set of challenges. It may surprise you to learn that this has not always been the case.
October 4, 2009
There are a number of places you can find out more about my career. This link takes you to a short Flash presentation which shows how my design career has evolved into a consultancy role which allows me to continue to help clients with their problems.
October 4, 2009
Each Case History is a précis of projects undertaken by Town Group and marketing managers will find the scenarios familiar. If you have a particular situation which requires some outside help, or would like to know more about a particular project then please contact me for further information.
October 4, 2009
Synesthesia is a unique sensory phenomenon
People who are affected by it, experience the blending or interaction of two or more of their senses – touch, taste, hearing, smell and vision. I have a type of synesthesia and use it to come up with new ideas and connections.
October 4, 2009
Here is a list of other places on the web where we can meet.
October 4, 2009
one2six creative ltd is a design company specialising in book design and lifestyle publishing under the direction of Maggie Town. It is also the umbrella company and legal entity under which I conduct my business activities.
October 4, 2009 Actions speak louder than words
No one will argue with the fact that Britain is a great place for creative talent or that we let others exploit it to reap the rewards. We have scored some spectacular own-goals in this area and I want to do something about it.
October 4, 2009
The design business has changed dramatically since I started work and this history illustrates those changes through a portfolio of work and commentary.