About
Thoughts Make Things (previously named Studio Binky) is the independent design studio of Art Director, Graphic Designer and Illustrator Lydia Lapinski.
My aim is to produce highly creative, ideas-led work that is engaging, inspiring and beautiful, as well as being functional and educational. I enjoy working on projects that align with my own values of promoting learning, creativity, community and play.
I work with a mixture of my own clients and other agencies, offering a variety of services including art Direction, branding, digital design, graphic design, illustration, packaging design, product design and set design.
Before setting up Thoughts Make Things in 2008 (previously named ‘Studio Binky’) I worked as a graphic designer, art director and head of design for top design agencies including The Designers Republic, Studio Output, Iris Associates and Pimoroni. I was one of the first designers to work at Studio Output when they started up in 2003, and became the first female in 25 years to be employed as a designer at The Designers Republic. I have worked in design studios, advertising agencies and in-house for brands, gaining experience ranging from designing electronic PCB boards, to chocolate rabbits.
Projects
- Sensoria — Uk festival of music, film + digitalSensoria is the UK’s festival of film and music. Sensoria’s natural home is Sheffield – a city renowned for its creative and technical innovation and one rich in musical heritage. The festival has risk taking and innovation at its core – it is informal and informative; Sensoria loves to provide access, raise aspiration and work to encourage new talent on an ongoing basis. The theme for the 2016 festival was movement. Sensoria approached me to create an illustration for use on posters, t-shirts
- Pimoroni — FlotillaPimoroni are a company of makers and educators in Sheffield, UK. They are passionate about making fun, accessible and inclusive electronics, hardware and software for anyone from beginner to master. The Flotilla starter kit is a range of smart electronic modules that can be connected together to create a wealth of amazing projects that can sense and react to real world environments and situations. The kit contains a main dock and 14 sensors, two wheels, motors and cables to plug in and play wi
- Pimoroni — BearablesPimoroni are a company of makers and educators in Sheffield, UK. They are passionate about making fun, accessible and inclusive electronics, hardware and software for anyone from beginner to master. Sewable. Hackable. Wearable. Adorable. Bearables is a range of woodland-themed wearable LED badges and sensors. Wear the badges on their own, or connect them to one of the sensors with conductive thread to bring them to life. I had the idea and name for the product and worked closely with Pimoroni
- Pimoroni — PicadePimoroni are a company of makers and educators in Sheffield, UK. They are passionate about making fun, accessible and inclusive electronics, hardware and software for anyone from beginner to master. The Picade is a Raspberry Pi-powered mini arcade that you build yourself. I art diretced and designed the entire project, from the packaging to the photoshoot and video. I also illustrated a fold out A1 instrucation poster, illustrating each step isometrically as well as the wiring diagram. Photogr
- Catapult — 250 IconsEleven Design are a Sheffield-based creative agency. They commissioned me to design 250 icons for their client Catapult Energy Systems. The icons are all based around different ways we use energy, different types of energy and how we can improve our usage of energy going forward. Catapult Energy Systems support innovators who are creating ways for us to transition to a clean, intelligent energy system for the future.
- Computer Arts Magazine — United by DesignComputer Arts is the magazine that has been inspiring and informing graphic designers and illustrators since 1995. Computer Arts brings you behind-the-scenes access to cutting-edge design projects, in-depth analysis and incisive opinions from the design world's thought leaders, plus the very best new work from the global design community. Computer Arts commissioned me to produce a set of illustrations to accompany their main feature article entitled 'Unite & Conquer'. The article was based arou
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Projects credited in
- Design MattersStudio Binky commissioned me to animate a Design Matters illustration for the iPad version of Computer Arts' December 2013 issue. The idea was to show the studio from the original illustration coming to life, with some accompanying music composed for the animation, as if it was playing on the radio.
Work history
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Creative DirectorEleven Design / Our Favourite Places
Sheffield, United KingdomPart Time
Eleven is a design and visual communication studio. We work across a range of disciplines from brand indentities to wayfinding systems - and everything in between. We pride ourselves on high levels of craft, execution and clarity.
Our Favourite Places (OFP) is a self-initiated project by Eleven, a creative design studio based in Sheffield. Eleven regularly collaborates with Sheffield's creative community on OFP projects. You'll meet some of these writers, photographers, artists and designers in our Locals pages. We created OFP in 2010 as a way to promote our home city to tourists and locals alike. As well as a website, we also publish the OFP travel guide book, tours of the city, postcards and prints.
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Art Director, Designer & IllustratorThoughts Make Things
Sheffield, United KingdomFull Time
Thoughts Make Things (previously named Studio Binky) is the independent design studio of Art Director, Graphic Designer and Illustrator Lydia Lapinski.
My aim is to produce highly creative, ideas-led work that is engaging, inspiring and beautiful, as well as being functional and educational. I enjoy working on projects that align with my own values of promoting learning, creativity, community and play.
I work with a mixture of my own clients and other agencies, offering a variety of services including art Direction, branding, digital design, graphic design, illustration, packaging design, product design and set design.
Before setting up Thoughts Make Things in 2008 (previously named ‘Studio Binky’) I worked as a graphic designer, art director and head of design for top design agencies including The Designers Republic, Studio Output, Iris Associates and Pimoroni. I was one of the first designers to work at Studio Output when they started up in 2003, and became the first female in 25 years to be employed as a designer at The Designers Republic. I have worked in design studios, advertising agencies and in-house for brands, gaining experience ranging from designing electronic PCB boards, to chocolate rabbits.
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Skills
- Art Direction
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Packaging Design