I was born in 1974 in Colchester, England. For a few years I attended boarding school in nearby Ipswich before passing my 11-plus examination and gaining entry to the Colchester Royal Grammar School.

Afterwards I acquired a diploma and then a degree in design at the Colchester Institute. Here I specialised, largely self-taught, in interactive design at a time before it had been embraced by the education system or the design community.

In 1998 I moved to London to start my first job as web designer for Perception Interactive in Chiswick. In 2000 I joined the London division of Agency.com in King’s Cross, and purchased a small flat in Maida Vale. The ‘dot-com bubble’ burst that year but I retained my position despite extensive rounds of staff cuts and 18 months later I was promoted to senior designer.

I met Louise in late 2001 and in early 2003 we left for her homeland, New Zealand. Shortly after arriving I was hired by Alt Group, and in 2005 Louise and I purchased our current home. Louise and I were married in Auckland in January 2007, and our first child Emily arrived one year later in January 2008.