Our Senior Designer, Jon Quinnell, loves creative play. You’ll always find him producing creatively enticing worlds that engage through layers of visual storytelling; both through his design work at FUEL, plus often in the form of LEGO model displays. In addition to graphic design, Jon is also the former Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Melbourne.

“Creative play is a critical part of who I am, both in my professional and personal life. As a natural problem solver, there’s no better feeling for me than taking on a challenge that doesn’t have a clear direction or solution. And trying to solve through diving in, doing, figuring out and trying out, and seeing what sticks and what totally flops. I class this as creative play. It’s a moment when you’re designing blind, with no idea of what will form in your hands. Being led solely by imagination, best judgement, experimentation and determination.”

“At first glance, LEGO and graphic design may seem like they exist in entirely different creative worlds, one rooted in physical, tactile childhood play and the other founded on methodical rules, precision and modular thinking. But delve deeper, and you’ll realise they both allow creative play to thrive. A shared foundation of imagination guided by structure, along with storytelling through problem-solving and experimentation.”

Creative play isn’t just child’s play, it’s a powerful tool that nurtures creative freedom, releases restraints, solves problems and pushes us beyond our limits.