London – Designer James Shaw uses many words to refer to his work, but ‘craft’ is not one of them.
We caught up with Shaw at last week’s Design in the Age of Anti-authenticity Network Evening, part of London Design Festival, to learn more about his methods and why he rejects the ‘craftsman’ label.
‘I call myself a designer, I call myself a maker, but I don’t see myself working within the tradition that craft entails,’ he says. ‘I move between different materials, I don’t have an alliance to one particular tradition.’
According to Shaw, it is time for brands to ditch the nostalgic connotations of craft and embrace a definition that includes digital and industrial methods.
The Big Picture: Consumers have become bored by the existing brand lexicon. Book your place at Beyond Borders, our Autumn/Winter 2015 Trend Briefing, to find out more.