Inside the Table Art Designer Mind of Gary Martin
A look into the sketches and concepts of chief Table Art designer and MD Gary Martin.
Get ready to have your mind blown. All 168+ centrepieces are not only manufactured here in the UK – they are also designed right here in our studio. As the force behind the business, Table Art Designer Gary has always been the go to designer for all things bespoke. With a loyal following of customers, often when clients look to get something custom made, they call Gary direct. Going straight to the top, they have absolute faith that Gary will bring their vision to life.
| Sketch: Utilizing our Rotating Cake Centrepiece, incorporating a 3ft coloured balloon with a colourful garland tail. The Colourful balloon centrepieces mirrored with the organic balloon displays that cascade from above. A great option for customization. Branding available on the tiers of the cake plus potential options for adding a printed logo the balloons. |
Gary Martin: Table Art Designer
“I love to push artistic boundaries by combining the newest trends and innovative technologies. With my strategic oversight, our team brings the client’s desires fully to life. I want people to look at the hundreds of table displays we create and be compelled to continue to talk about each one. I want them to comment, discuss and see them when they close their eyes. My objective is to get the events industry to approach events thinking about technology. We love to make clients events the talk of the town. I’m excited to provide our clients with the highest level of care and attention as we create art with the greatest of intricacies and complexities.”
| Sketch: Dressing our Inflatable Tunnel with a colourful display of organic balloons. The quilted look of the inflatable tunnel complimenting the overall look of the balloons. Starting with the larger balloons at the base and building up to an arch made up of predominantly small and medium sized balloons. |
| Sketch: When approached by a client for a bespoke selection of concepts, Gary is always keen to offer hem a wide selection of options. This is a perfect example of his approach. With the client looking for an Organic Balloon theme, he has put together a range low and high level centrepieces. |
In the Beginning:
Table Art Designer Gary realised his passion for art in school. His natural talent for drawing nurtured. He went onto pour all his efforts into art and business studies – a killer combination when looking to go into the events industry.
Our MD has always been something on an entrepreneur. Even from a young age- running a local car washing enterprise to plump up his pocket money. He went onto work with his dad running roller discos and developed a love of DJing. Following years of running a successful agency for DJ services, Gary wanted to diversify. His love of design/ art came back to play a staring role in his life.
| Sketch: Our design studio is currently developing twinkle lights that will be fully DMX-able. Development phase is always an exciting time for the team as Gary’s supporting sketches come thick and fast. In response to the new Twinkle Lights, here the drawing marries them with the organic balloon trend. |
Centrepiece Design:
The history of Table Art is a long one. Certainly, worthy of a book in the future but for now- we will keep things brief. Gary created ZAP events that focused on set designs for events and worked with agencies on bespoke briefs. Bookings made on the strength of his sketches. Once approved, his dedicated team brought those designs to life. From a mobster style speakeasy to a pirate ship- the team at ZAP did it all.
The recession of 2008 brought big changes for all of those in the industry, certainly true of Gary and his team. The recession brought a regeneration and rebrand. Table Art came to life.
Gary’s illustrating skills went into overdrive. With a need and determination to create a centrepiece range for the corporate market- our first year with a productive one, with over 30 designs debuted. Since then, today you will see our range explode to over 168 designs! We take great pride in that, continuing to grow the collection month after month. We have an unrivalled choice of centrepieces and partnered with our technology- we are leaders in the field.
| Sketch: The Pixel Tube is one of our most popular designs. Keen to draw the Organic Balloon Trend into the popular range, Gary has put together this selection of drawings. From the taller Pixel Posts with an Organic Balloon Display Vase to a Table centre mirroring the same effect. We have the theme covered! |
From the Studio
This blog gives exclusive access to the main man’s sketch book. Or more accurately, access to his MacBook. We have chosen to highlight designs that feature his concepts for the Organic Balloon Trend that saw an explosion in popularity last summer. As you can see from the selection shown here, Gary’s imagination is one that many of the crew envy. When we get stumped on a brief or project, Gary’s input is invaluable.
| Sketch: Balloon Columns are becoming more popular and this was one of our initial sketches when the first enquiries came through. Using a 3ft balloon at the top, a metal stand is the hidden skeleton to the piece. Built around that stand is an intricate selection of balloons set in the organic balloon format. The beauty with all of the sketches shown is that colours are adaptable and completely customizable. |
Now more about this Organic Balloon Trend…
The organic balloon display is made up of what looks like a random selection of balloons, all in various sizes and colours. Don’t be fooled! This is no simple collection. With a carefully considered set of colours, the studio selects four to five size variations. The designers then work hard to put together a display that looks like it’s sprung naturally from the ground up.
Popular in shop displays across London, last spring we started receiving calls from our clients looking to bring the trend to their next event. For those of you that have worked with us before, you know that letting clients down isn’t an option for us. Gary set to task, working on sketches to address the brief and then heading into the studio to create prototypes.
With many of our crew veterans in the events field, balloon displays aren’t alien to them. However, they aren’t experts and so we called in It’s All Glow and Matthew Lewis Displays. Their valuable experience and advice that meant that we fine tuned our own skills and produced displays and centrepieces that were polished.
| Sketch: Another version of the Balloon Column. This design brings the weight of the display to the top. A great option for those looking to make the most of their ceiling space. This makes the most of the organic concept, making the balloons appear to be ‘growing’ from their source point. |
In Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed a look into Table Art Designer Gary Martin. We hope that a sneak peek into Gary’s sketch book, particularly his Organic Balloon Concepts has inspired you for your next event. From his centrepiece ideas to the endless prop installations he has envisioned, no detail is left to chance.
We have been built on the creative and entrepreneurial mind of Table Art Designer Gary Martin. By seeking out a team that share in his passion for creativity and technology, we are a strong force in the event industry. Offering a bespoke service like no other, a client can expect a proposal supported by sketches within 24 hours of the initial contact. Don’t believe us? Call us and find out for yourself! We will not disappoint.
| Sketch: A selection of centrepiece designs put together for a companies 100 Year Anniversary event. Playing with a varied selection of base options, featuring the Swirl, Full Moon and Rotating Cake. All of which can be partnered together on the event to make a dynamic mix of centres across the tables. |