Mature designers look outside London

Matthew Valentine’s article on young designers focusing on London-based consultancies (DW 14 August) addresses a problem that we, as a consultancy situated outside the M25, are familiar with.

It is not just the idea of wanting to work for a London-based consultancy, but being at what they perceive as the centre of the creative universe. Shops, restaurants, cinemas, galleries, markets and museums all add to the vibrancy and attraction of working in London. They contribute to the mosaic of a creative lifestyle, which, in turn, helps to stimulate the creative juices.

But, like Gardiner Richardson in Newcastle, we find that once designers have cut their teeth in London, their priorities change. The need for space, both mental and physical, coupled with a realisation that job satisfaction can be achieved outside the big city, are factors which edge closer to the top of the wish list.

Tony Huggett

Design director

Quarto Design

Arundel

West Sussex BN18 9DH