Dedicated to inspiring designers, inventors & the creative spirit in all of us.

Judson Beaumont is owner of Vancouver-based Straight Line Designs, established in 1986. Known for his custom wood, fiberglass and mold making, Beaumont enjoys offering a whimsical view into his world through furniture and exhibit design.  Much of Beaumont’s studio work has been displayed around the world and on numerous design sites.

What was your first impressionable moment that involved design as a child?

I never did art classes as a child, it wasn’t until graduating high school that I started to look into it as a profession. I then began to look at design more seriously and decided to take the concept farther by attending art school.

It is easy to see that you are influenced by your childhood; what are the things from your childhood that you wish to pass on to others through your work?

I try to pass on the ideal of never limiting yourself or your creativity, take chances and hold onto the childlike fascination with the abstract.

You attribute your style to people like Walt Disney, Dr. Seuss, Warner Brothers, Pee-wee Herman, as well as designers like Philippe Starck and Frank Gehry. Have you had the opportunity to meet or correspond with any of these cultural icons?

I have met both Frank Gehry and Philippe Stark at various trade shows. I admire the fact that they push the limits more than any other designers, always reaching forward and defying limitations.

How did you make the transition from student to business owner, creating Straight Line Designs out of design school?

I never wanted to leave art school; for me it was the greatest thing I had every experienced. After going through a short trial in the movie industry, I decided to venture out on my own and start my own studio. My plan was to create my own art school environment.

What is the key to your success in your design studio, having worked nearly 25 years with so many clients on so many projects? Is it the atmosphere, the content of your work, or maybe the end result of seeing people enjoying your finished work?

I think it is a little bit of everything combined. The talent of my staff, being able to create such unique products and getting to enjoy the reactions afterwards.

How important is it for you to have sketches and renderings to communicate to your clients before you create your finished designs?

It is one of the most important aspects of design. It is very important for me to visualize the project with the client on paper before it ever begins being built.

You have said that you try to incorporate elements into your designs that make each project un-intimidating, interactive and fun. Is this difficult when working with a medium such as wood?

No, we work with many different techniques to bend the wood and create unique shapes, we definitely push the medium. We also incorporate fiberglass and mold making into our list of materials, as well.

Giving talks and slide shows must be  rewarding, but how do you make time for speaking engagements; do you travel to schools and businesses or do they come to your studio?

It is definitely a little bit of both. I enjoy going to schools and events and talking with students but it is also great to get them down to the studio so they can see everything in a real working environment.

What should an aspiring designer do every single day, with the intention of becoming a better designer through habit?

I would say sketching, and researching are definitely the most important stepping stones to becoming a better designer. Looking into other artists, getting inspired and seeing what others are doing around you.

Here are ten great images to make you say ‘wow’, all from the team at Straight Line Designs. I have seen these images peppered throughout the design blog world for some time now, but I thought I would include a top 10 of what I consider to be their most unique designs as a collection. Enjoy!

Joel Escalona of Mexico studied Industrial Design at Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco in Mexico City (2008). Since 2006, he has been designing conceptual award-winning products, as well as home accessories and furniture pieces. He leads his own virtual studio developing simple, practical and innovative designs, always driven by storytelling concepts. Joel is currently working on various furniture and product design projects.

What was your first impressionable moment that involved design? I think I had a lot of impressionable moments, obviously, when I was a kid. For example, at school learning something new, at museums or even when I used to help my dad fixing the car.

For some people, there is a single person or a single moment that changed how they see things as a designer. Who would you attribute to you seeing things with a designer’s eye? It’s pretty hard to say; a lot of people influenced my design thinking. Even things I see or read change my way of seeing objects and, of course, my way of thinking on design.

Do you believe studying Industrial Design at UAM in Mexico City makes your work unique in the design world, opposed to a European or North American influence? I really cannot say with exactitude. Mexico’s Industrial Design is very young; we are talking about 50`s. Obviously design teaching has a lot of influence from Europe and North America. In UAM they have a technical approach to design, which helps me a lot.

What do you consider to be your strongest area of design — architectural, furniture or graphic design? I would say furniture and interiors, as it is the area I work in the most. But I’m very interested in working more in product design; I would love to get involved in technology.

What has been your greatest honor to date, as far as awards and recognitions? I have a lot of great experiences, like winning a contest by Volvo – they took me to their factory in Sweden, which was amazing; and also going to New York in order to show my work in ICFF as a part of ICFF Studio. I have been invited to Milan, and they just invited me to Maison & Objet in Paris. I have had a lot of great experiences in my short career.

Your work seems to have a very clean, polished and glossy appeal. What do you consider an influence in your design style? I don’t know, it is like my design territory.

Do you have any intentions of evolving from product design into any other genre of design work? Yes, of course. I’m thinking architecture; I would love to design houses.

Do you use Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or any other communication networking sites to promote your work or stay in contact with other designers? Yes, yes and yes, I use that a lot. I’m very into networking and, actually, I think I have never used normal mail.

What should the ideal designer do every single day, with the intention of becoming a better designer through habit? Studying and practicing. A creativity killer is ignorance.