1. Mineheart, Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire
I arrived at an old pub in Longstanton, Cambridgeshire, which behind, hid a small
shed. A garage conversion. Timber clad with double doors and a tatty picnic
bench outside.
Peering past my reflection in the double-glazing, I wondered if this was the right
place. I tapped on the door and before anyone else, a long-legged dog greeted
me at the door. Her name was Lili, and her owners, Brendan and Vanessa, who
were also the owners of the design company, Mineheart, where I had arrived for
my interview.
The interview was as playful as Lili. Vanessa liked my photography and Brendan
seemed very interested in my sketch work, both techniques, I later began to
develop through my work at Mineheart, as well as many more.
The company
The studio was a treasure chest of curiosity. I barely dared to stand on their
custom-made elongated cow skin rug, but couldn’t watch my step for the vast
range of products that surrounded me.
Their things were very out of the ordinary. The kind of products that you see on
Pinterest, general blogs or in interior design magazines about incredibly thought-
provoking products, despite it simply being a clock or rug. It’s hard to pin point
even one direct competitor as their products are so very unique and ‘out there'.
Of course, there’s the generic wallpaper manufacturers who also produce a ‘book
shelf’ wallpaper but apart from that, no other products seem to come close.
However, another designer who I saw also exhibits at Super Brands, Alex
Garnett, similarly to Mineheart, also works closely with themes that touch on
animal forms, ceramics, funky furniture and quirky lighting. Garnett also
frequently uses the shapes of human skulls, which is particularly fashionable, but
not a route that Mineheart dared to go down, with their slogan ‘loveable design’.
I started mid-July and jumped straight into the deep end.
I was introduced to all of the products and given a history of each of them and
how they came about. Having found the company for myself, I’d already looked
over the website, but was interested to hear what they personally had to say
about their products, as well as being introduced to some that had never
surfaced their website.

2. The range of tasks
I was given an extremely helpful print-out pack, made by the previous placement
student who also came from Nottingham Trent. In the pack, was everything from
'where to find certain documents and files on the hard-drives', to 'how to change
the password for the official website’.
This A4 pack was my Mineheart bible. I read it religiously and was even able to
start adding instructions as I progressed through my time there.
Day one and I was finding my feet and finding it fun.
Vanessa gave me the task of finding the cheapest quote and samples for the
braided cable used in the remarkable ‘King Edison’ light pendants.
Emails, phone calls and voicemails. Eventually I managed to get a quote for
around £25 cheaper than the last order which was my first real input into the
company and brought a warm welcome for me and I've never settled for the first
quote since. I’ve already learnt a life skill and I also found myself correcting
Brendan’s order and saving him from buying a kilometer of cable.
We’d received the correct amount of cable and so Brendan taught me how to
wire the lights up. The components of the product included; a large, hand-made
glass bowl in the shape of a light bulb, made from ’science glass’ (the same
glass used for beakers and other chemistry equipment), a custom-made,
miniature brass chandelier, the braided cable, a custom made ceiling rose with
all the fittings, a terminal block, cable grips, and a small plastic housed resister
which tended to get warm.
So on July 24th, I learnt all about the construction and electronics of Mineheart’s
King Edison light pendant, which would later be sold and shipped, worldwide for
£480 each, which suggests the target market and prestige of the small business.
I made around 30 of these in total. (Luckily, my fingers are already callused from
playing the guitar.) I also designed the sticker for the front of the cylindrical
packaging that the products were shipped and stocked in.
I gained a great insight into the company during the time I was there. It was
almost immediately brought to my attention that all of their current cushion
designs were simply cropped images of the stunning work by Chad Wys, which
raised my eyebrow a little, but I overlooked it and continued as I should.
Similarly, some of Wys’ artwork was printed on canvases by Mineheart, with the
addition of a frame, also printed onto the canvas which were produced in sizes of
up to 173cm x 137cm.
He, of course, was paid royalties for the use of his images, but it really opened
my eyes to how the design game can often work with such little design involved

3. and such a great response from the public and press, as well, of course, as the
easy profits.
I’m not saying ‘anyone could have done that’… well, actually, I am, but of course,
it takes the know-how to ‘make’ the product and the name to sell it.
Later on, Chad Wys realised that he could have been doing this himself all along
for a greater profit, himself, and so altered the agreement with Mineheart in his
favour.
From here, it was my responsibility to either; find another artist who would be
happy to collaborate, or create some cushion designs myself. I chose both.
As a team, we gathered images by other artists and by process of elimination,
whittled it down to just a few. Chad Wys had brought out a series of more
modern imagery, which still fitted in with Mineheart’s ‘loveable design’, and so we
went back to Wys, while I developed a different range of cushions.
Scrolling through images from a very expensive disc, I gathered a few images of
landscapes, which were to be ‘painted upon’ in a similar style to Chad Wys,
again, to fit with the rest of Mineheart’s range of products.
My colleague, Margaret and I went outside to create the paint drips, which were
to be photographed and digitally applied using Photoshop to the landscape
image that we’d chosen.
During my time at Mineheart, I’d created four cushions using hands-on
techniques, experimenting with different paint applications and combining it with
digital techniques in Photoshop for perfect refinement of the products graphic. I
was also given a collection of photos taken by Vanessa of ‘shabby’ fabrics,
consisting of frayed edges, torn corners and old crochet. Using Photoshop, I
compiled the best selection of images to make the ‘cherub’ and ‘crochet’ cushion.
The cushions by Mineheart all retail at £72 each, once I’d written the poetic
description on the website. They cost just £18 to manufacture.
'Designed to give the illusion of layered fabrics and textures. Inspired by fond
memories of Grandma’s restful sofa, this cushion focuses on comfort and
homeliness.’
Similarly, I was given the task of using spray paint and an artistic eye to recreate
an image found online, that Brendan and Vanessa wanted to use for printing onto
a large canvas. It was greatly believed to be another piece by Chad Wys, but he
confirmed that it wasn’t. So, struggling to find the original artist, we were told to
do it slightly differently to avoid any copyright infringements. The piece is called

4. ‘Madame Blush’ but formerly known as ‘Not By Wys’ which can still be read,
printed on the frame’s plaque below the image itself. A little piece of inside
knowledge that consumers would question!
On a much more technical side of design, I was given the task of creating the
technical files of the metal frames which would later support the silver plated and
brass trays for use in the ‘Casablanca’ tray tables which would later sell for up to
£420, despite the product cost of around £100.
Once we’d collectively decided on the best and most attractive frame structure, I
used Adobe Illustrator to create a detailed and scale drawing on the metal frames
to be emailed to a local metalwork company who would fabricate them. We used
the most local company we could find. I was told that if product’s cost is more
than 70% British, it can be claimed as ‘Made In Britain’, despite some parts being
sourced from abroad.
The files consisted of dimensions, thicknesses, materials and precise angels,
and was presented in third angle, much to Brendan’s curiosity.
I was also given the task of producing the CAD files to illustrate to the
manufacturer to show how and where the transfer images and gold luster should
be applied to the ceramic French Bulldogs, which would later sell under the
collectively decided name of ‘Delf’ for £196. I was also asked to write the creative
description for the website, which was shared externally over many different
social websites.
'Decorative ceramic bulldogs introduce a modern and playful twist to the
classically patterned china crockery that they take their inspiration from. These
little hounds look great on dressers, cabinets, warming by the fire or even as a
table center-piece, guarding your salt and pepper.’
Meanwhile, Brendan and Vanessa were working on products of a larger scale,
larger costs and therefore larger responsibility.
The ‘Miss Chester’ collection of seating, formerly known as ‘Miss Match’.
Again, I took the challenge to descriptively write about them for the website. I
also photographed them for general use throughout the company.
Since Brendan had seen my guitar renovations in my ‘home projects’ portfolio, he
gave me the task of preparing, priming, spraying and finishing the legs of the
sofas, which I was extremely happy to do.

5. The chesterfield style seats are available in many shades of tan leather, and a
few shades of grey velvet. Velvet is extremely difficult to photograph. All of the
photos used were taken by me, using the semi-professional lighting that Brendan
had ordered for the occasion. I was asked to Photoshop them to a ‘professional’
standard for use on the website and other promotional items such as e-
newsletters, brochures and price lists.
Another of Brendan and Vanessa’s projects was a large, satin black cabinet,
which hosted a large, digitally refined image of an Elizabethan style women, with
a digitally added ‘mascarade' eye mask and a beauty spot. Again, I wrote the
description for the website and took the photographs.
‘Hand made in England, this minimal black cabinet whispers ‘regality’.
Contrasting the beautiful, crisp detail of Elizabethan style with
modern minimalism, this cabinet complements and surrounding.’
Since leaving Mineheart, they’ve gone on to add more to the ‘cabinet collection’,
introducing side tables and smaller cabinets.
The Cambridge based workshop I used for painting belonged to Brendan’s Dad,
where I would also take box after box of un-drilled ‘clock plates’, as well, of
course, as the specifically purchased diamond covered ceramic cutter and a
large washer for the template stencil. I must have drilled approximately 100 clock
plates, breaking only 3 in the time I was there, which Brendan laughed, was ‘a
good ratio’. I learnt how to safely and effectively drill ceramic plates, which is a
skill that I’m hoping to find a use for in my future career. Once the drilled plates
had returned to the studio, we all gathered round a table to form a production
line.
I’d place the clock mechanism into the plate and secure it in plate,
before passing it to Brendan, who would push the hands on and pass it to
Margaret. Her tiny fingers allowed her to screw the tiny brass nut onto the end to
hold the hands in place. Finally, Vanessa would slide them each into a cotton
bag, reading for shipping worldwide, and most commonly, to Liberty of London.
I’d never worked in design before but I was loving it. The teamwork and internal
collaboration. Bouncing ideas off of each other and learning things I’d have never
thought to learn. My favourite part of working in design, however, is drawing a
concept one month, and seeing your finished product in the studio or showroom,
or even in the magazine the next month.

6. The show
Once all of our efforts had compiled together, we were finally ready.
Brendan and Vanessa had invested a lump sum of money to land a space at the
'Super Brands’ design show at the Old Truman Brewery in London, from 19th to
22nd September, 2014, to which, my presence was kindly requested.
Me and colleague, Margaret caught a train to meet Brendan and Vanessa in
London to help set up. We found them in a quirky coffee shop down a small alley
which, inside, was covered obscurely painted canvas and graffitied walls.
They’d driven there in an enormous hired van, which contained absolutely
everything.
After a sandwich and an expensive glass of Coca-Cola, we flashed our passes to
security and cracked on with the set up of the show.
Once everything was on site, Brendan and I nailed some sheets of ply to the
stall, on which we would apply a few variations of their wallpaper. I was then
asked to mix the wallpaper paste and crack on, while everyone else carefully
unwrapped the layers upon layers of bubble wrap from the rest of the products.
I’d never applied wallpaper before, and so, for a professional show, was
particularly daunting. Miraculously, I did a pretty good job and is certainly a skill
I’m glad to have obtained.
As soon as everything was set up, once the new ‘Casablanca’ tables were
positioned neatly on the ‘George Aries Esq.’ rug, once the ‘Delf’ dogs were
perched neatly next to the ‘Miss Chester’ sofas underneath the new ‘Madame
Blush’ canvas, it was, of course, coffee time, then before long, home time to
await the following day.
Show time! I’d arrived back in London and made my way to The Old Truman
Brewery with my pass in hand. We did the finishing touches before the doors
opened at 10am to thousands of energetic, enthusiastic and eccentric fashion
fanatics and design devotees. It was indeed an experience. I also took the
opportunity to walk around the show myself and take in everything it had to offer
and meet designers.
A few weeks after the show, when things had cooled down, Brendan and
Vanessa took on the challenge to design the entire interior for a cafe which
was soon to be opening in Cambridge City Centre, in which we all had
some points of input. Meanwhile, my main project was to update the price
list and brochure, using InDesign and Microsoft Excel, adding all of the
latest products, for uploading to the download area of the website.

7. The departure
Before long, my time at Mineheart had come to an end. I came away with
such insights and enthusiasm, that I decided to have a go myself.
The new beginning: Bourneys, Cambridgeshire
And so, ‘Bourneys’ began. For about a year, my Dad had had a very rough
concept for a range of gentleman’s handkerchiefs that are more than just
plain, spotted or patterned. He wanted imagery. He wanted a piece of
cotton artwork that you could blow your nose on and I had just received the
knowledge, confidence and connections from my previous placement that
would allow us to make it happen.
I took this opportunity to contact The Hive in Nottingham, who I knew could
help me with the process of starting my own business, as well as having it
count towards my placement year. I had lots of meetings with Phil Clarke
at the Hive and attended lots of seminars and lectures, which would help
me with the development of my business.
A generous grant from Enterprise Inc. meant I could really get the ball
rolling. I invested in the manufacturing and use of silk screens on a bulk
buy of cotton handkerchiefs, the packaging and promotion (domain and
website) of the product. The second largest investment came shortly after I
was accepted to have a storefront on the renowned product site, Not On
The High Street. A large set up fee. However, this investment was
replenished within the first week of sales.
With my products being seen by hundreds of people each day, I realised
that I needed to expand the product range to appeal to more of the general
consumers that use Not On The High Street. Customisable items sell
better than hotcakes on ‘NOTHS’, and so I created the ‘copper curiosity’.
Simply, a piece of copper pipe, flattened out, hand-stamped with personal
lettering, polished and lacquered before being mounted on faux leather,
framed and boxed. These now retail at up to £34, having revised the price
from £19, due to popular demand, and may again, need to be revisited.
The total cost of the product is £9. From here, I branched out to other
materials such as tin, denim and tweed, which sell for the same price.
I’d gained many connections from working at Mineheart and hope to put

8. them all to use again for my own benefits. Geoff at Tadema Designs did a
great job with ceramic bulldogs. Ceramics, to me, seem a great way to
combine old and new. Digitex offered great prices on fabric printing
/cushion manufacture which is something I’ve looked into.
Having the opportunity to start my own business meant I was able to see,
first hand, how businesses work and what makes them work best, as well
as having full control over which products surface and which ones don’t.
However, this also means having the responsibility and pressure to
maintain the business, focusing on everything from stock checks and
orders to customer service to product manufacture.
The final words
They say the best way to learn something is to do it yourself. I’ve learnt far
more than just ‘something’ this year. I’ve learnt how to invest wisely and
design appropriately, which, I think is all you really need in this career.