We want Small Talks to be a place for sharing untold stories of making innovative products and services. We know the big idea or glossy final outcome is only half the story. Here at Made by Many, we feel there’s more to learn from hearing about how people got there; translating passion into process and ideas into action.

We had an absolute blast hosting what I found an incredibly insightful evening. Massive shout out to our speakers Oliver Marlow, Collyn Ahart and Nick Ierodiaconou for sharing their humble and honest stories. Also, thank you to Ex-Made by Manyer Kirsty Joan Sinclair for capturing the evening in sketchnote form (the lovely picture at the top of this post)

We will be releasing audio of each speakers talk over the next few weeks, available on our SoundCloud page or subscribe to our iTunes podcast feed to get the talks when they are published. Kicking things off first is Nick Ierodiaconou of Open Desk’s talk - which is embedded towards the end of this post.

After the event and over a celebratory pint, myself and Fiona started to talk about what we would like to hear more about at our next event. Our conversation meandered through topics such as sonic branding and sound design, game design and senses - such as scents and taste. We also talked about transport a lot, including moquette and tiles design on t’tube.

What would you like to hear more about at a future Small Talks event? Are you someone who works in one of these industries and would like to share your story? Give us a shout on Twitter if so.

Creative Director at Studio TILT

In a design industry that aspires to create workplaces that encourage innovation and creative thinking, why do we find ourselves bound by a linear process akin to a production line? What would it take to break free from this process?

Oliver’s focussed on how a codesign process brings together all stakeholders (strategic, design, service, operational) to create engaging and adaptable places for people to do their best work.

Studio TILT
@studioTILT

Founder of women’s adventurewear brand Bowndling

How do you make technical clothing look better, but actually mean something more than just fashion? What does disrupting garment manufacturing actually look like? What if your dream business model doesn’t include an a physical workplace at all?

Collyn shared the story of how she co-founded women’s adventurewear company Bowndling, and her ambition to be an inclusive brand that is about the dreams of women of all kinds.

Bowndling
@CollynAhart

Co-founder and Director of Product at Opendesk

What happens when you enable designers to distribute their products through a global network of makers? How can you apply open-source software development principles to designing and manufacturing furniture for workspaces?

Nick unpacked his experience of founding OpenDesk, a web platform offering designer furniture that can be made locally all around the world.

OpenDesk
@Nick_Diaconou