Design in a time of Corona

Maintaining a healthy mind, managing to work and doing your bit for society as we go through a period of extreme changes. Graphic Design is by its nature a lonely occupation. But what can we pass on to others that may help in these difficult times. For years, as a Graphic Designer, I have sat…

Golden thoughts on a Silver lining in Black times.

A few positive thoughts in a difficult time for us all. Change is not only good, it is necessary. Forcing millions of people around the globe is the biggest thing to happen to most of us in our lives. We would all benefit from as much help and positive support as possible right now and…

Product design and the importance of muse

A few personal visual notes on the importance of muse when developing a product for retail. Recently, in October 2018, I have finally found something I am happy to turn into a fully fledged product for retail. It all started in September 2016, talking and laughing with colleagues on the importance of the Peak District…

there are only good ideas and bad ideas?

I was really lucky to get a relaxing day out last week at the #yorkshiresculpturepark The work currently on show is not only sublime, the ideas are great. An exercise in restraint, holding back on the superlatives. :  ) The current big show is Giuseppe Penone: ‘A Tree in the Wood’ and it is #wonderful….

The inexplicable science of happy coincidences

Learning to understand what it is to be human, how we see what we see, how we observe the patterns of all our lives and act upon them is big science. It is the vastness of neuroscience, psychological behaviour patterns and the understanding of how personal experiences affect our everyday. It is a massive subject,…

Hope Valley Fringe – a celebration of the new.

Hope Valley Festival is an arts festival set to open its doors on April 28th. It’s set to be a new and exciting fusion of extraordinary technologies such as what3words.com, which boasts one of the greatest global location system ideas ever,  with more traditional arts.  An ideas marketplace that is opening its floor space to…

Launching The Contour Range of Peak District Design products

No razzamatazz on this occasion… just another of my understated quiet product launches gets underway right now. Products are reaching shop shelves and peoples homes. Kind words have been said, reassuring product testing has been done, products refined, designed, produced. Packaging and point of sale has been designed, swing tags, brochures and leaflets are ready,…

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Just thought I’d get a Christmas Card and sentiment from a windy Lose Hill  in on time this year. Starting to look like we were successful, and 2018 is going to be a joy. Happy Christmas from out here in the Peak District!! x  

40 years ago… a small boy did the 3 Peaks of Yorkshire…

I am so proud of the fine bone china that I have just taken delivery of from those lovely people in the Potteries. Monster #peakdistrict #design Pint Pots now available for Christmas from the #peakdistrictdesign website. Ideal for Tea, Coffee or Whisky : ) To see more, or order an ‘Always Moving’ fine bone china…

Peak District Design quietly gets under way…

There’s so much to do when you launch a new business, and with my Peak District design hat on, I am determined to prepare everything before launching anything… so it is with s sense of pride that I was delighted to see the giclée sample prints coming off Graham’s printer. So here we go… quietly…

The race for Christmas, quality trumps everything everytime…

So here it is Merry Christmas, everybody’s having fun… except for hard working designers still locked in the office after a great many years. There’s no doubt about the pressures designers have as Christmas races towards us… but personally I have chosen to play the quality card every time over the obvious need to turn…

The hidden benefits of great sculpture

The hidden benefits of great #sculpture Determined to fully recover from a long bout of wretched pneumonia, I self medicated a prescription of high dose Barbara and Henry. It seemed like a great plan. Armed with only my good friend Tim and a small camera for company we drove up the M1, through a sunny…

Finding inspiration for the next piece of work.

‘world class work that lifts you’. Its Tuesday, it’s 3pm and it’s scorching hot in the office. so what do you do? A quick drive up the M1. It’s only 20 miles from Sheffield City Centre and it’s a mini work break up to the 40th birthday party of the #YorkshireSculpturePark #YSP. It’s perfect weather…

Peak District Design… is coming soon

Peak District Design will be launching soon at www.peakdistrictdesign.co.uk A small business specialising in the orginal artwork and design of Si Homfray. A few images from forthcoming products can be seen below.

logo design – a process with heart

I thought a few personal notes on the process behind producing this logo for the lovely people at Sheffield Sling Surgery might be interesting. The brief was unusual and in written form came along the lines of ‘I want something I will love’. My motivation was high as I knew a little bit about the…

Where do great ideas come from?

A few personal thoughts on the design and creative process. The bath? Famously, Mr Archimedes, had his Eureka moment in the bath. Which may give us a good starting point to answer this question. It certainly seems to be true that the more relaxed you are, the more day to day fun you are having…

Hope Works – No Bounds Festival

A few images from a photographic assignment at Trafalgar Warehouse in Sheffield with Tim Glasby videographer. Trafalgar Warehouse, Sheffield and the launch party at hopeworks, sheffield 9th june 2017 here’s a link to the no bounds festival Joby Burgess (Pioneers Of Percussion Live) BENJAMIN DOREY, MARTIN ARCHER, JACK OPUS, BEN ECKERSLEY PRESENT: SONGSEVEN BENJAMIN DOREY,…

X-ray crystallography inspiration for a logo

Here are a few images from a recent logo design project… I was so grabbed by the patterns thrown out by x-ray crystallographs at a microscopic level I was determined to create something digitally that felt good and represented the patterns without being too clinical. It is always fascinating study finding the differences between some…

Birthday card design

It’s not often, if ever, you are asked to design a 70th birthday card for one of your oldest friends. This project was no ordinary design project, like the subject was no ordinary person. Lt. Col. T. E. Pollak (ret). was 70 years old and he needed a design theme. Still actively running Mt Marathons…

love what you do and do what you love…

developing a corporate image and having fun at work is possible! … working for minibeasts shop forthcoming website launch… #funatwork #graphicdesign #designexcellence @sihomfray www.hammerdesign.co.uk        

how do you design a new business card?

My 2017 crystal ball prediction… it’ll all be alright in the end! How do you design a new business card – you just design a new business card! In hommage to, and inspired by, the wonderful sayings of the great simon mayo and the equally magnificent mark kermode… straight from the ‘now becoming legendary and…

looking for work…

It’s that time, and work needs to be found… If you know anybody who needs any of the skills that went into making this website or would like to see some portfolio work or case studies from si… it would be great to hear from you. just call si on 07515 903173 or email: si@hammerdesign.co.uk…

8 things to look for in a graphic designer

Are you looking for the holy grail? Is what you want out there? A graphic designer with relevant experience, an understanding and sensitivity for your work and that something indefinable, an edge that will make you and your business really shine? Here’s a set of 8 top tips and aspects to look for when appointing…

* please think responsibly

designing a christmas card for your own business is right up there with pulling teeth as things designers and business owners really love. it’s the one opportunity in the year you have to do something a little different, to be yourself and maybe even try to show off a good idea… after overthinking nearly every…

purple is the colour of… Chatsworth?

A quite remarkable evening at Chatsworth… I was invited to capture a few images of the extraordinary people who won awards from Accessible Derbyshire. Gillian Scotford and Jane Carver hosted the function which was topped off by the fully illuminated purple house and icon that is Chatsworth house. purple has become the adopted colour of…

it’s a kinda magic… or is it?

so what goes into a graphic designer? is it a learned skill you can learn, is it innate and a genetically acquired skill or is it magic? I’d like to put forward the theory as a completely self taught graphic designer who has earned a living delivering many different types of commercial design work since…

a few words on design and marketing

is this the shortest book on design and marketing for the small business possible? Cards from the hammer design ‘KISS’ ( keep it simple si ) series. design 1. smart: work that is run through a planned, thorough, professional process is most likely to succeed in its objectives. 2. on point: the brief needs to…

so who are hammer design?

hammer design is the graphic design business of si homfray si homfray has earned his living as a professional graphic designer and marketing person since 1986. his major skills include graphic design for print, visual communication, branding, exhibition design and making marketing ideas happen. si is currently working with the web, print, exhibitions and a…

hammer design – a new look at excellence in graphic design

An obsession with detail is an obsession with excellence… People seem to often associate a relentless pursuit of detail and excellence with perfectionism and there is a tendency to label graphic designers as obsessives. Sure I haven’t met many colleagues who won’t straighten your pictures on the wall, align the pens on a desk in…

a commercial designer and a questioning artist…

A commercial designer and a free flow, free thinking artist? Can a commercial designer be truly creative or a game changing artist? Does such a thing actually matter and if so to who? How do you get experience from both sides of the fence? So many questions… but what are the really important questions, the…

two years ago today…

It was two years ago today I had to come back from my lifetime dream of a great big adventure. family, money and a responsibility issues forced an untimely return to base. It’s quite strange how we give ourselves a hard time from time time and I find it frustrating how we beast ourselves for…

a new old home

Sheffield, Sheffield, Sheffield… it’s the place I want to be. What makes a home a home? We all have different answers to this timeless question. for me it’s simple. Sheffield and the surrounding Peak District are, and have always been, a great home. it’s a place where you bump into friends, acquaintances and the people…

it’s all about the orange – colour psychology for 2016…

It’s all about the orange – a cool or fashionable colour of the moment. But what does orange mean to you? Well there seem to be many popular theories about warmth, energy, vitality and an open mind or is that yellow? The theories conflict. Generally it is a confident colour, extraverted, warm and happy. It…

the secret project

the thing about secret projects is… well they are secret. I’m happy to boast that I am now up to 4,000 hours all on one very designer, very analogue graphic design project. It’s certainly not for the money. How could it be? It’s all just for the love of it. for the love of design,…

just add tea

if you want to get a job done… just offer the workforce a cup of tea. well it certainly works with this workforce.