Hasta La Ideas

The cover of issue 3 features the handsome axes of the Best Made Company as photographed by Adrian Gaut (stay tuned for a post about Adrian).

Combining beauty and utility, the axes make a sharp statement whether you’re heading out to the woods or admiring it over the mantle. Glen interviewed Peter Buchanan-Smith, the co-founder of the Best Made Co. and graphic designer extraordinaire {visit Peter’s portfolio to see work for clients such as Vintage Books and Isaac Mizrahi}. Here’s an excerpt:

What’s your process for designing and creating these axes, both in terms of conceptualizing their designs as well as the process of painting them?

I am inspired by so many things: from hardware, to fashion, to horse racing, and everything plays a role in these axes. The process is to not use any computers to map out what we are going to do. Graeme and I discuss a few things over some whiskey, and then I go off and get to work—hands directly on the axe, making it up as I go. I have some vague notions of what I’d like to see, what colors might look good set in certain patterns, but for the most part there is no definitive process. Color and pattern are the two key factors. Once I’ve nailed something, I rarely try and repeat it. Even though it’s “just an axe” it’s still a perfect blank canvas with endless possibilities. When the axe is finished Graeme and I sit down (over more whiskey) and think of names for each one. The naming process is a crucial part for us: it’s where we give the axe it’s narrative. Albeit a very short story (we purposefully do not caption the axes, just give them names) because we know that our customers will create the real story. In that sense we are just coming up with the title of the book, and the story (the legend) lies in the hands of the customer.

Pick up our current issue to read more and head on over to the Best Made Co website to purchase an axe and see the inspiration for their design and colour palette.