Alan Moore

have always been fascinated by beautiful things: architecture, furniture, books. Beautiful things are prepared with love. The act of creating something of beauty is a way of bringing good into the world. Infused with optimism, it says simply: Life is worthwhile.

sk yourself this simple question: Do I want a beautiful meal or a dreary one? A beautiful relationship or an ugly one? To live a beautiful life or an average one? Work for, or create, a remarkable business, product or service, or mediocre ones? There is of course range in what we call beauty, but in the end the truth is that beautiful things endure

William Morris once said, ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

job well done is not based upon watching the clock or fighting time – but in giving oneself to the task.

So, if we wish to create great work, to bring the new into the world in elegant and timeless ways, we must first address the key issues of purpose, context and process.
The Shakers also had one golden rule – back to William Morris: Do not make that which is not useful. And so it was their interpretation that all useful things should also be beautiful. God, as architect Mies van der Rohe said, was in the details and, you never know, an angel may come one day and sit on that chair – it had to be worthy of such an event.
It is said that the most appealing thing about Shaker design was its optimism. Those who would lavish care on a chair, a basket, a clothes hanger or a wheelbarrow clearly believed that life was and is worthwhile. And the use of every material – iron, wood, silk, tin, wool, stone – reveals the same grace. The Shakers recognised no justifiable difference in the quality of workman

gradations in importance of the task. All must be done equally well.

Doug Engelbart was a man who gave considerable gifts to our world through his work in computational technological innovation. Engelbart pioneered the mouse, hypertext, and video conferencing. Think of how many people have used a mouse, or made video calls, all possible through his vision combined with his design capability. Today, we all rather nonchalantly Skype each other around the world at the click of a mouse.

What world do I want to create?

This is important: if you cannot describe a new destination, you will never get there.

Everything we do is shaped and guided by what we believe, whether we notice it or not.