Meet the Team - Graham Warren

Hi Graham, thank you for agreeing to be my next victim in our ‘Meet the Team’ blog series. Firstly, can you please explain your role here and how long you have been with us at Timage?

The main focus is to develop new contacts and to expand the client base of Timage. As I have a product design background, a good percentage of my time looks at managing product change and improvements to deliver new solutions to customers. I also seem to be a sounding-board for manufacturing advice which our customers really appreciate. They like to know that they are getting sound advice about how appropriate a solution is, rather than just being ‘sold’ an idea. So far, that has accounted for 4.5 years with the team.

You work for Timage as a consultant, how did this come about?

Well, my relationship goes back a long way with the company. I was a customer on the other side of the desk for about 20 years and dealt with our [beloved] directors. I have worked in the boat industry as a designer since the late 1980s and had been turning to Timage to ‘make things happen’ for me with several international boat yards and design practices. So it is fair to say we were on good terms and I asked them for advice on moving into the architectural or residential design world; looking for new projects in that direction. A business lunch turned into a ‘let’s work together’ arrangement back in 2016. I haven’t had a good lunch since.

It's obvious you have a huge amount of experience, how did you get into the marine industry?

I did a degree in Industrial Design for Transportation at Coventry. Like most interns, I expected to become a car designer [and I am still mad about cars] but I was lucky enough to spend the summer aboard a sailing boat in the Med. Surrounded by all shapes and sizes of yacht, I realised that so few boats seemed to be the result of any design study of styling, ergonomics, or design for manufacture, so I decided to change my area of study to boats. On graduating I joined Fairline Boats as a designer, and thus became part of the new wave of professional designers to make improvements in the boat industry.

As well as being a consultant for Timage you also run your own design company, can you tell us a little about your company, 500 design…

500 design has been running for 10 years and I have been really fortunate to work with some great clients on really interesting projects. I offer design input on all levels from the initial concept through to overseeing technical aspects of conformity, manufacturing and development options. Sometimes it’s a facelift to help a company launch a fresh look on a budget, something like a new dashboard layout or a new style of furniture, and on others I work alongside a company’s design team to give industry guidance. I have worked in many boat yards and design studios so am happy in the dust of the shopfloor or the heat of the boardroom. Working with a wide variety of people and languages develops the experience and ability to fit in, to relate and to be made welcome. I believe something has to fundamentally work first but the aesthetic fit is important and can make everything more rewarding. Hopefully you see this in my resto-mod projects for cars and ‘bikes with a blend of classic and modern influences.

What work-related accomplishment are you most proud of?

It would be easy to pick one of the superyacht build projects in Italy or Holland where I had to immerse myself in all aspects of the yacht, from design and construction to quality checking fitout and selecting fabrics and crockery etc. This was acting for the owner and often their wishes were uncompromising, diplomacy became a key style. These projects were understandably high-end budget and involved 100s of people. But I got even more satisfaction working with a small UK boatbuilder to bring a revised range of boats to market on the smallest amount of money possible, in the shortest time and with just a handful of skilled people. I ended up doing everything from designing the boats, overseeing development, sorting the bill of materials and even designing the show stand, brochures and branding. Lost a fair bit of sleep but gained a lot of valuable experience. I was very proud of that partnership.

Lastly, and most importantly, what is your favourite Timage product and why?

Timage is well known as being the Besenzoni agent in the UK and amongst the many superb engineering solutions they offer, they are a leader in helmseat design. The seats are a ubiquitous fitment. I have designed some of their seats and really enjoy the mix of influence: automotive, aircraft, residential and how you can put Connolly Leather next to Carbon Fibre. So, I am biased but I’ll pick a P251 Carbon Fly or P007 Eclypse – always gives me a buzz when I see one on a yacht looking fit for purpose and setting the style for the area.