I received a Bachelor's degree in Sculpture from the University of Idaho and went on to start Machine Language in 1984, originally to design, build and market contemporary furniture. That eventually led to several years of designing and building custom furniture for Nike in their Niketowns around the world, and has since developed into an industrial design consultancy.
I come from a family that is always making and building and fixing things and that hands-on approach is something I still enjoy in my work today. I designed and built two houses and the studio I go to work in every day and although much of what I do is on the computer these days, I find great value and enjoyment in making physical models and prototypes as part of the design process. My specialty is helmet design, and clay models are still the state of the art for helmet design. I love to get my hands dirty exploring shapes while modeling helmets in clay.
My design philosophy is pretty simple. I feel that if we are going to consume physical resources and human labor to make products, the objects we create should be necessary, highly functional, and beautiful. I strive to live up to this philosophy and I try to approach every project with an attitude of "let's make this the absolute best it can be".
Outside the studio, I enjoy cycling, skiing, hiking, boating, and reading the New York Times on Sunday. I love my work and feel very lucky to be able to do it in a place close to family, friends, and nature.
John
