📢 A New Chapter for Thomas.Matthews 📢
After 28 years of pioneering sustainable design and communications, we have made the strategic decision to close the Thomas.Matthews studio and integrate our design expertise within the Useful Simple Trust.
This transition strengthens our ability to collaborate across disciplines, embedding sustainability and design thinking at the heart of our B Corp family. While this marks the end of TM as a standalone studio, our commitment to driving meaningful change continues - particularly through our work at Useful Projects, where we will focus on the circular economy and sustainable innovation.
We are immensely grateful to our incredible team, collaborators, and clients who have been part of this journey. Your support, talent, and shared vision have helped shape the legacy of TM, and we are proud of the impact we have made together.
🔗 Read the full announcement on our website.
A huge thank you to everyone who’s been part of our journey this year — from collaborators to colleagues and beyond.
We’re proud to be part of the Useful Simple Trust, a collective of engineers, architects, and sustainability consultants. Together, our shared ethos drives us to push boundaries, create meaningful impact, and work for the benefit of people and the planet.
This year, collaboration inspired our festive communications. With contributions from across the Trust, we came together to craft our UST crucible — brought to life using our bike lights! 🚴✨ Take a sneak peek on the next slide!
Wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a New Year filled with peace, success, and shared purpose.
Useful Simple Trust
@expedition_engineering@useful_studio
Useful Project
#UsefulSimpleTrust #sustainabledesign #peopleandplanet #Collaboration #Sustainability
How can design create a sense of belonging in urban spaces?
Our work with London Borough of Newham and Stratford Original explored this question through a series of creative interventions aimed at making Stratford Town Centre more welcoming.
Drawing inspiration from its grid-like Victorian shopfronts, we developed brightly coloured murals and a broader visual identity to highlight the area’s character and history. Engaging with local poetry groups and using tactile design elements like letterpress-inspired graphics, we created bold designs that celebrate Stratford’s past whilst looking to its future.
These interventions were part of a two-year public realm improvement plan, bringing a renewed sense of pride and value to the local community and businesses.
#communicationdesign #design #graphics #culturalplacemaking #placemaking #wayfinding #emvironmental #identity #interventions #retail #shopfronts #history #future #character #visualidentity #stratfordcitycentre #publicrealm #community #business
For the last #lovedandlost of 2024, we’re sharing an identity concept for the AVA Footbridge & Lift System, which officially launched its prototype this summer.
🚆🌉 Inspired by its modular, configurable design and seamless connectivity for passengers, our ‘lost’ concept highlights trusted innovation in action.
#communicationdesign #design #brandidentity #brandawareness #brandcampaign #logo #branding #AVAbridge #innovation #railway #bridge #lift #infrastructure #engineering #marketing #patterns #project
🔔 New work alert 🔔
It gives us great pleasure to publish our long-running project at @beckfordstower . Working closely with @bath_preservation_trust and Interpretation Consultant, Iona Keen, we’ve helped in reuniting the iconic Tower with its lost landscape and the storytelling of the mysterious and elusive William Beckford. Through community engagement, we went on a journey to learn and understand how best to talk about sensitive themes such as the slave trade. From meticulously mapping out visitor journeys to making the tower as accessible as possible, finessing the signage system, ensuring maximum flexibility to update content quickly, and reducing waste materials. We provided a modern, sustainable, and accessible wayfinding and interpretation scheme that will stand the test of time.
Special thanks also to @thomasfordandpartners and Senior Curator, Amy Frost, from @bathpreservationtrust for your insight and openness to new solutions – we’ve learned a lot through this process; not only technical but also on engaging with difficult subjects and how a design system can be beneficial in this regard. Thanks to @displayways , @woodfashioners and Click Netherfield for taking our concepts and applying your expertise to make them a reality!
Head over to our website for the full project case study – link in bio 👆
#communicationdesign #design #beckfordstower #heritagesite #sustainable #wayfinding #visitorjourneys #userexperience #signage #storytelling #landscape #museum #interpretation #exhibitiondesign #flexiblesignage #reducingwaste #reuse #accessibility #sustainabledesign #bath
In alignment with our sustainability principles, we designed the Useful Simple Trust’s 2023 Impact Report using 100% post-consumer wastepaper for its content pages. To ensure a circular production process, each cover was printed on deadstock paper that would otherwise go unused or to waste.
Which colour is your favourite?
Printed in the UK by @printsmith .
#communicationdesign #design #impactreport #report #creation #production #development #print #printing #sustainable #circulardesign #circulareconomy #recycle #reuse #fsccertified #wastemanagement #wastepaper #paperstock #printdesign
Preserving original features and characteristics is essential when modernising educational facilities. Our work at the @uniofexeter ’s Colchester Campus exemplifies this, where we designed a wayfinding and signage system that respects the iconic Brutalist and mid-century architecture.
In collaboration with the University, we crafted signage that complements the existing aesthetic, using strong, modular lines and incorporating sustainable design elements. This included the creations of Essex Modular, a bespoke typeface that was inspired by the campus's existing forms. Each element maintained the integrity of the original design, while supporting students, staff, and visitors as they moved through the evolving spaces. 📸: @jilltate_
#communicationdesign #design #signage #wayfinding #environment #environmentaldesign #brandstrategy #brandidentity #educationestates #education #universities #campusdesign #typeface #architecture #bold #modular #character #ecobrutalist #modernisation #functionality #boldaestethic #sustainability #sustainabledesign
Wednesday 6 to Saturday 9 November is Global Donut Days and we are celebrating by looking back at the doughnuts we have designed over the years.
Kate Raworth’s @doughnuteconomics model reshapes how we think about sustainable growth, emphasising a balanced 'safe and just space' for humanity. For designers, it is a powerful reminder that our work shapes perceptions, influences behaviour, and has the potential to drive systems-level change.
Join us in embracing the design of visuals that communicate and inspire sustainable, equitable futures! 💡🍩
#communicationdesign #design #sustainabledesign #ecoeconomics #globaldonutdays #designforgood #behaviourchange #systemschange #communication #sustainability #equitablefutures
We had a great evening chatting about sustainable paper and London’s most famous trees at the sixth edition of Noted Notebook’s London Roots event.
📖 This year’s edition of the notebook is made from 100% agricultural waste and didn’t harm any trees - an inspiring collaboration between @carterwong_ldn and @printsmithworld to create a stunning, low impact journal.
Our team always enjoys meeting like-minded individuals that share our desire to create beautiful, sustainable design, and to continue learning about the possibilities of print.
Congratulations to everyone involved!
#communicationdesign #design #create #event #networking #inspiration #learning #notebook #book #writing #printdesign #printing #agriculture #materials #paper #lowimpact #sustainable #sustainabledesign
We had the privilege of working with Isleworth & Syon School for Boys, one of West London’s oldest schools, to create a new perspective on tradition with its reimagined brand identity.
Aligning with the Headmaster’s vision to keep the school relevant and forward-thinking, we revitalised its historic identity by introducing a bold new colour palette and contemporary design, strengthening its legacy and connection with the next generation.
Collaborating closely with the school’s leadership, we refreshed the heraldic symbols on their main badge and house crests, while preserving the iconic Latin motto and lion emblem. These elements feature prominently in the new Humanities Wing and extended to a cohesive ‘family’ of exterior signage – brought to life by comprehensive brand guidelines.
Images: @jilltate_@useful_studio
#communicationdesign #design #graphics #brandidentity #wayfinding #environmentalgraphics #brandguidelines #identity #signage #education #school #heritage #history #legacy #contemporary #icon #logo #pride
A #throwback to the wayfinding and environmental graphic signage we completed for @thisistorey Paddington.
The bespoke signage created a sophisticated yet welcoming experience for visitors, aligning with the unique character and identity of the space. By opting for pressed recycled plastic, we achieved a premium yet sustainable material choice that brought a bold and distinctive dimension to our work. The design allowed light to glow through the cut-out logo, offering a stylish touch that complements the interior design without overwhelming it.
This project showcases our commitment to thoughtful, environmentally responsible design, where form, function, and sustainability meet to enhance both @britishlandplc ’s brand identity and user experience.
#communicationdesign #design #wayfinding #environmental #graphics #signage #brandidentity #sustainabledesign #sustainablematerials #recycling #sustainable #materials #userexperience #commercial #commercialdesign #stylish #bespoke #unique #sophisticated
Our bespoke building identity and wayfinding strategy for the award-winning @royalbirmcons honours the site's long musical history while embracing its forward-thinking future. Our concept for ‘The Dynamic of Music’ formed the foundation of our creative approach.
💫🎼🎻🎹🎤
Working closely with the design team, we ensured the Conservatoire’s identity not only aligned with the broader University brand but also stood as a beacon of its unique purpose. The result is a visual and functional system that balances the contemporary with traditional, appealing to students, supporters, and audiences alike.
To bring the identity to life, we collaborated with marbling designer Jemma Lewis to create bespoke patterns that respond to music relevant to the Conservatoire’s curriculum. This centuries-old marbling technique, popularised in Britain in the late 1800s, was used to generate unique patterns that represent each floor of the building. These patterns were integrated into wayfinding signage at a large scale to highlight venue entrances, subtly incorporated into high-traffic areas, and used as full-colour statements in circulation spaces such as stairways.
#communicationdesign #design #wayfinding #brandidentity #placemaking #environmentaldesign #musiceducation #education #university #designforplace #culturaldesign #singagedesign #creativecollaboration
