Motorcycle designers expanding, while working in secret

Motorcycle designers expanding, while working in secret

It's nice to hear that, economic downturn aside, some design companies are still expanding. Xenophya Design, a UK-based motorcycle design consultancy, has just opened a new design studio in northeastern England.

You may have never heard of Xenophya Design, and well, that's no accident:

Since establishing the company in 2001, Mark Wells and Ian Wride have spent the last seven years building up an impressive portfolio of projects and an equally enviable client list. Although most major motorcycle manufacturers have their own in-house design team they often employ the services of consultancies for smaller design projects or specific aspects of larger projects. Companies without their own design team employ Xenophya to provide a complete design service.

Much of the work produced by consultancies such as Xenophya is never allowed into the public domain. 'Some of our most impressive, innovative work is confidential and not meant for public, much less competitor consumption' Ian Wride explains. Changing objectives, markets, and budgets mean it is common for projects to get stopped before they reach production.

Mark Wells hints at his frustration when he says 'We are extremely proud of all our work but unfortunately a lot of it never gets to see the light of day. On occasion we have to stay completely anonymous. Some contracts state that we can't even mention that we worked for the client let alone be allowed to use anything in our portfolio.... that's just the way the industry works.'

(Via Core77.)