You Can’t Walk With Us

Originally from the north of England I moved out to the US in 2000 and have called San Francisco home for the last 4 years now. I studied Industrial design in Detroit and eventually moved to SF for work. Over the past few years I have mostly been designing handheld consumer electronics but I enjoy most all types of art and design. I really appreciate products with a sense of humour that also serve their purpose.

From the age of 1 to 6 my family had a small farm in Yorkshire, England. I once brought a garden worm inside to show my mother, my mother quickly turned me right around whilst saying "that’s nice David, now go feed it to the chickens." I guess some time had gone by and when my mother came to check on me I had rolled this poor worm to over a foot in length. My Mother asked me what I was doing to which I replied “I wanted to make sure all the chickens got some.”

I have never really fit into any single job description very well (must be the ADD). I am a photographer, designer, writer, entrepreneur...basically an idea addict. In 2004, while still a college student in Seattle, I adopted a puppy: Olivia the Great Dane (the original best idea ever). In 2005, I founded a boutique marketing agency and named it after her. In 2009, I had the pleasure of photographing Momo for the first time. I also got to craft the P.L.A.Y. logo and photograph the very first P.L.A.Y. beds!

One foot in the past, and the other in the future, that is how I live my present. In life and work, I am a lover of all things analogue and hand-made; while simultaneously fascinated by technology. From a young age, I developed a strong kinship with animals. I knew my calling was among them and working with my hands. Photography found me at 16 and at 28, I found myself as a photographer | illustrator | designer dreaming of a life beyond an office cubicle.

In 2009, I leaped and never looked back. Together with my better half, we created Photo Lab and Design Lab. Our work, dedicated to companion animals, is an uncomplicated blend of fine art | lifestyle photography and boutique graphic design. “The Labs” have allowed us to make great friends and collaborate with kindred spirits, working with our hands, creating work we are proud of and loving it. Living in the California countryside, with two dogs and two cats; I am a dog nerd who loves to hike and still shoots film.

I am still a newbie to the Bay area, and I love it.

Originally, I am from Western Pennsylvania, where I attended Carnegie Mellon University for Communication Design. I then worked as an Art Director / Graphic Designer for Target Corporation in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

After nearly four wonderful years at the Bullseye, I accepted a position as an Art Director with Yahoo! and relocated to San Francisco. I am currently freelancing and enjoying my new city.

Ever since I was little, my house was a proverbial zoo. I am the eldest of four children, so growing up our house was always loud and full of mayhem. But it wasn’t just us kids causing a ruckus, we always had TONS of pets, which I loved. Coming home from school to the dog barking, the cat pouncing around teasing the dog, and our bird chirping in the background for attention will always be a fond childhood memory. This definitely made me an animal person, and I can’t wait until I am home enough to get a dog of my own!

Born and raised in Chicago, I grew up with a yellow lab that made my childhood years a joy. When I had the opportunity to work with P.L.A.Y., I was thrilled to be part of the lighthearted yet design focused brand for pets.

I started my career as a designer in Chicago where I dabbled in everything from advertising to packaging design. My interest in creating holistic brand experiences had led me to web design and user experience in New York City and Brooklyn. I love the energy of this city where inspiration can be found on almost every corner, (the only thing I’m missing is a fluffy dog!) I’ve been lucky enough to have worked on a variety of clients and projects, but also continue to collaborate with P.L.A.Y. on design patterns for pet beds and toys. It has been amazing to see P.L.A.Y. grow over the years and mostly importantly, be part of it!

I’m from upstate New York, trained in NYC and now loving life in sunny Charleston, SC. I’ve been designing stuff my entire life. My childhood toys were paper, crayons, glue and scissors. My earliest memory of “designing” is drawing family dinner menus and placecards featuring pop-up, leaping elephants. I learned my love of mechanical pencils, charts and diagrams from my scientist father and inherited a “you can make anything” attitude from my D-I-Y mother. I moved to the big city, graduated from Parsons School of Design, and spent most of my design career in serious businesses (architecture and publishing)... but then the Pet Industry found me.

Happy people work with animals. Dogs and cats have always been part of my family, so working with P.L.A.Y. is a dream come true. We all care immensely about animals, because after all, our pets are in-charge.

Having worked as a freelancer and in a small studio, but in 2011 I made a big change and set up Mel Smith Designs. I wanted to create bold patterns for my own range of homewares, something I'd been longing to do since my college years. I studied Surface Pattern Design for interior furnishings and have since expanded into travel illustration - incorporating my globe-trotting adventures into my homeware and gift collections. I never thought that I’d end up designing for dog beds! I met PLAY at a UK trade show and jumped at the change of collaborating.