Scarborough designer Richard Seymour to return to his hometown at the Big Ideas by the Sea festival
From everyday domestic products we are all so familiar with to the more esoteric as in the interiors of the Virgin Galactic spaceship, Scarborough-born Richard Seymour, one of the world’s leading industrial design consultants has created several ground-breaking innovations.
He will be among the internationally eminent speakers at the annual Big Ideas By The Sea Festival in Scarborough in May at St Mary’s Church.
Taught by both art teachers the late John Penny and Colin Foster at the Boy’s High School, he then trained at Scarborough Technical College under the late Malcolm Burn and Austen Sleightholme, before embarking on a graphic design course at Central St Martins in London.
Mr Sleightholme recalled: “I remember Richard vividly from his time in the art department at the College during 1970/71, where I was one of his tutors.
"Richard was an extremely perceptive and imaginative student, and these attributes have been with him throughout his career”.
Subsequently at the Royal College of Art and remarkably while still a student, his collaboration with the celebrated designer John Gorham resulted in a highly coveted Silver award from the professional body D&AD (Design & Art Direction) for their series of Beatles Themes book jackets.
His early career, initially spanning graphics, advertising and film production design then proceeded unconventionally in his switch of disciplines, from two to three-dimensional design.
A founder member of the internationally acclaimed London design consultancy Seymour Powell, his innovative product work includes the world’s first cordless kettle for Tefal (1985), the very first pocketable mobile phone for Technophone (1991) and the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell motorcycle for Intelligent Energy (2005).
His prodigious creative output has also ranged from InterCity 125 locomotives, the Norton F1 and Muz Skorpion motorcycles, Minolta cameras, Nokia mobile phones and Casio watches (and a customised electric guitar for Eddie Van Halen), to his more recent projects that have included the interiors of Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceship.
Returning once again to his hometown, he has previously spoken at the Westwood School of Art & Design in 2005, Scarborough Library and the Whitby Art & Design Conference in 2008 and for The Friends of Scarborough Art Gallery in 2012.
A formidable and highly engaging public speaker, his Big Ideas presentation in Scarborough will focus on forthcoming design and technology with a talk titled The Future of The Future.
Richard Seymour will also be joined by two other world-class eminent speakers on the same day (Saturday May 24).
The cultural historian Professor Sir Christopher Frayling, a former Rector of The Royal College of Art, (speaking at 12.30pm) who makes a return visit to the festival this year and Regius Professor Emeritus of History at Cambridge University Richard J. Evans, a world authority on modern Germany (at 2pm).
Richard Seymour appears at St Mary’s Church Scarborough at 3.30pm on Saturday May 24.
The Big Ideas By The Sea festival this year runs from May 16 to 30.
Visit the festival website at bigideasbythesea.com for further information and tickets.
- If you’re going to this year’s event, please email [email protected] with your pictures.