|) /\ |\ | /` |
|) \/ | \| \] .
__________ |) /\ |\ | /` |
/________ /| |) \/ | \| \] .
| X|I | |
| | | | |) /\ |\ | /` |
|IX * III| | |) \/ | \| \] .
| | | |
|____VI___| | |) /\ |\ | /` |
| / | | |) \/ | \| \] .
| / | |
| / | | |) /\ |\ | /` |
|( ) | | |) \/ | \| \] .
|_________|/
|) /\ |\ | /` |
|) \/ | \| \] .
I’ve been drawing for as long as I could hold a pencil — usually elaborate contraptions and eccentric machines, heavily inspired by the Wacky Races cartoons I devoured as a child. Once I was old enough to use my father’s workshop, my doodles began to take shape in the real world. I built rat catchers, bubble machines, and even shed-top turbines — sometimes functional, sometimes purely for fun.
At eight years old, I entered a national art competition sponsored by Kraft cheeses. My “Rube Goldberg-style” drawing of a Kraft cheese factory won my age category and earned me a trip to meet children’s TV art hero Tony Hart at the BBC’s Bristol studios.
After A Levels, I studied at the (now sadly defunct) Great Yarmouth College of Art & Design, completing a foundation year before specialising in Graphic Design. My first professional role was as a Junior Designer at Marks & Spencer’s headquarters on Baker Street, London.
Shortly after starting my professional design career in London, I returned to hands-on invention, creating a batch of low-fi, gadgety bubble machines inspired by my childhood designs and selling them at Covent Garden.
After working as a graphic designer for several years, I soon discovered my true passion wasn’t just design—it was ideas. I switched tracks to become an art director, joining leading advertising agencies across the FCB, WPP, Omnicom, and Publicis networks in Cape Town and London. Along the way, I picked up over 30 creative accolades (shortlist, finalist or winner) from, among others, Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, One Show, D&AD, Webby Awards, London International and Creative Review with my greatest successes on digital channels, where I could weave interaction into every solution.
In 2010, I channeled my inner workshop tinkerer into What I Made, a blog sharing hand-drawn instructions for fun, often slightly absurd, craft projects. It struck a chord — within a year, I’d won two Webby Awards and landed a book deal with a New York publisher. My first book, Made by Dad, was a craft book full of ingenious, quirky projects in my signature style, it sold 120k copies. Mega-Maze Adventure! was published in 2020. A German only sequal to Made by Dad, Made by Papa, followed in 2022, and one more the following year. Then I retired from books.
In May 2023, I launched Brick on the Egg — a place where my inventive spirit and creative problem-solving meet to help businesses and agencies grow.
