Where the studio name comes from
Magnetic North Designs takes its name from Magnetic Fields Ltd, the games studio where my professional career began in 1987. It seemed fitting that the studio where everything started should continue to provide the name for the practice that followed.
Since then, my work has taken me across the UK, California and China, through game development, international production, corporate visualisation and freelance commissions.
The Journey
My career began in the games industry during the late 1980s as a Video Game Artist at Magnetic Fields Ltd, followed by freelance TV game-show graphics and animation work with Hewland International, and roles with Domark and Eidos.
In 1994 I joined Interplay Productions in California as Lead Artist, working across PC and console development before returning to the UK. I later moved into art direction and production leadership, becoming Senior Artist at Virtucraft, Art Director at Exient in Oxford, and Art Director and Project Manager at Hands-On / MForma in Beijing, where I managed international mobile game production.
Since 2006, my work has extended across freelance and contract visual production. Projects have included 3D asset creation, product visualisation and concept development for organisations including Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Shell Global Solutions Fuel Research, Tele Atlas / TomTom, alongside studios, agencies and direct clients.
Today
My work across multiple industries has taken me through different production environments, workflows and technical requirements — from entertainment and corporate projects to product visualisation and freelance commissions.
Magnetic North Designs continues that practice through freelance visual production for studios, agencies and direct clients. The work remains centred on 2D and 3D asset creation, product visualisation, concept development and visual assets for communication.
While software, platforms and production methods continue to evolve, the foundations remain the same: understanding the brief, working within production requirements and creating visuals that support the purpose of the project.