Tue, 31/01/2023 - 09:27
Digital Ghost recently moved into Banks Mill Studios to gradually grow the business in an affordable space with the option to grow as needed.
Joel, who is behind this company, strives to push the boundaries of contemporary product design. He reimagines everyday objects by combining emerging manufacturing methods with experimental design to create compelling outcomes. He focuses on not only providing bespoke statement pieces, but also small batch runs of his latest studio outcomes. One of the key ambitions of his brand is to offer unique objects which excite him throughout the design process which are offered to everyone at the highest possible quality.
Joel comments: “I feel that being surrounded by creatives will give me a much-needed sounding board for my work, setting up a studio by yourself is an extremely lonely and stressful undertaking, some days are akin to eating glass. I feel it’s important to have a network of likeminded people around you to avoid going insane.”
He has always been interested in design throughout his childhood and had an aim to start his own studio as he got older. He began his formal design education in York back in 2015. After graduation he spent time putting together his portfolio and quickly realised that there were limited opportunities for design graduates fresh out of university. Knowing he needed experience, he then secured an internship under Sruli Recht in Amsterdam, during this internship he worked on a multitude of projects but most notably “Luxury of Choice”. In mid-2022 he secured a residency at the Museum of Making where he was given a studio space and extensive resources to begin his practice. During his time there he was able to showcase his work to the public with an extremely positive reception. Having now moved from the Museum of Making to Banks Mill he is excited to continue growing the studio.
Joel adds: “Other than my degree I’m mostly self-taught. I feel like a degree in design will only get you so far and will teach you how to effectively research but not necessarily how to 'design'. I’m continuing to learn new skills for each project that I undertake, although I’m gradually beginning to understand that I can’t be an expert in everything that I do. Something early in the works is a project surrounding textiles, so I'm hoping to collaborate with the University of Derby, or a fellow Banks Mill member for this."
Joel's main aim with the studio is to focus primarily on the design and development of objects, the issue he is finding is that cost often dictates that he is also the manufacturer the majority of the time. An aim within the next 12 months would be to minimise the amount of in-house manufacturing. contining with smaller batch products and one-offs but products in regular production which he supplies to shops could be out-sourced to dedicated manufacturers. Alongside this he would like to expand his range of stockists as he further scales his production. He also wants to take existing projects and see how they translate in the digital space, as his work already exists in digital form prior to manufacturing it seems like a natural extension of the studio.
To find out more about Joel’s work visit his website and follow him on sociallay on Instagram and Twitter