The logic behind design with Andrew Ferguson, Support Developer at Katchr.

Anyone who lives and breathes design knows that beauty is merely a happy by-product. It occurs when function just “chimes”. Simply by looking at a well-designed solution to a problem creates a moment in the brain when everything makes sense. It’s in that moment that all the months, years of hard-worked agony comes to its fruition. For Andrew Fergusson, Support Developer at Katchr, the very best example of this is the Fender Telecaster electric guitar, “ because they got the design right first time and nothing that’s come along since has bettered it” – he insists. And he is right, the primary purpose of design is to solve a problem and the solution can be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen, apart from Andrew’s 18-month-old “pet human”, of course.

If you’ve never picked up a guitar before, if you don’t play, then the genius of the now 70-year-old electric guitar technology could be somewhat lost on you. For Andrew, that journey started with another genius, Bob Marley. From the very first moment he heard The King of Reggae, he was hooked, spending hours in his bedroom, soaking up the sun-drenched tones. Naturally, Andrew’s parents saw a spark of inspiration and bought him his first guitar, a £79 Epiphone Les Paul Junior (a copy of Bob Marley’s guitar of choice).

From that point, Andrew was on a life-long journey of love for music which spans an eclectic spectrum of reggae, punk, rock and electronica – he also has a classic synth (a Korg) in the loft which whispers to him in the night to be brought downstairs and played again (it is on his “to do” list for 2021).

Most people into music have a somewhat “dreamy” mind which is one reason why he enjoys fell running, just like the ultra-marathon running, South American Rarámuri tribe (who think nothing of popping out and running a hundred miles), Andrew has successfully fell run The Three Peaks which is enough to ruin most folks by simply walking it. The trick to long distance running, as the Rarámuri tribe attest to, is to “make your thoughts light” which Andrew says achieves an almost Zen-like state. This is often the very centrepiece of a creative mind.

It’s not that surprising then, that Andrew’s other passion in life is growing his own vegetables. They are pre-designed (by Mother Nature) and, like the Telecaster are so beautiful to see, even in their imperfections.