Stuff & Nonsense product and website design

About Stuff & Nonsense

I’m Andy Clarke, an experienced designer, author, design mentor and conference speaker. I use the power of great design to captivate customers and benefit businesses.

I co-founded Stuff & Nonsense with my wife, Sue, in 1998 and we’ve worked together ever since. I’ve designed e-commerce websites for Disney, helped Greenpeace and WWF improve online donations, and developed a design system for Sunlife. I worked with the Home Office and the Hillsborough Independent Panel and designed a campaign websites for Senydd Cymru and the Open University. I’ve worked with numerous councils and dozens of businesses.

25 years

Designing for the web since before Google was founded and PCs were still Pentiums.

Design native

I’ve seen trends come and go, but I believe that core design principles never go out of fashion.

Techno-savvy

I understand technology and how it offers us opportunities to be creative.

Practically creative

Always at the cutting edge of advances in web technologies, I know how to use them creatively and practically.

25 years designing for the web
Design native
Techo savvy
Practically creative

I searched long and hard for a web designer to create something unique, that stands out, and is more than a website. Andy delivered precisely that. If you’re looking for attention to detail, collaboration, quality, seamless execution, and maximum creativity, look no further.

Michael Baugh, composer

Andy’s reputation reached across the omniverse to my home planet Sigma 9. So, after seeing his ideas, I commanded him to turn them into what humans call a “website” for my 2024 General Election campaign against Prime Binister Minister Rishi Soon Axed.

Count Binface. Intergalactic space warrior and political candidate

Andy worked with me every step, to my schedule, and he brought my ideas to life beautifully. He was an absolute pleasure to work with and is enthusiastic, composed, and cool.

Loren Snow, Neurodiverse Training

Andy is that rare combination of a designer who really knows his technical stuff and has an incredible gift for design. He’s the go-to person if you want a design which looks fresh and original. It was an absolute pleasure working with Andy and watching him pull from his imagination, things I could never have dreamed of.

Tristan Jakob-Hoff
  1. 2024

    Worked with composers Michael Baugh, Alessandro Mastroianni, and Tristan Jakob-Hoff, and on the Changemakers project for Open University. Spent time in Germany and France.

  2. 2023

    Wrapped up my work with Nozomi Networks as Consultant Director of Product Design. Worked with Emma Bodger, and other specially chosen projects. Spent time in the southwestern United States, Germany, and the south of France. Began work on my sixth full-length book.

  3. 2022

    Worked with Nozomi Networks for another year, plus Abergele Dental, Equfund, and other specially chosen projects. Spent time in Costa Rica and the south of France.

  4. 2021

    Committed to working with Nozomi Networks for another year. Worked with the Congo Basin Institute, Le Fizz, and NWPS Construction.

  5. 2020

    Spent ten months mostly working at home with Nozomi Networks. Worked with Buskers Bern and Compass Financial. Spent time in the south of France.

  6. 2019

    Increased the time I spend working with Nozomi Networks. Worked with Animal Search and So Foot. Published Transcending CSS Revisited. Bought my first Subaru and spent time driving Scotland’s North Coast 500. Celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. Spent time in Cameroon and the south of France. Visited Berlin and Duisburg.

  7. 2018

    Returned to Wales from Australia. Published Art Direction for the Web. Accepted the role of Director of Product Design at Nozomi Networks. Celebrated my son’s doctorate. Spent time in Florence and visited Singapore.

  8. 2017

    Lived in Sydney, Australia working with Ansarada. Travelled to Melbourne, Perth, and Tasmania. Visited Saigon and San Francisco. Collected my first two tattoos.

  9. 2016

    Worked with Greenpeace Poland, Smashing Magazine, and SunLife. Spent time in Perth and Sydney, Australia. Consulted with Fairfax Media and Ansarada. Accepted the role of Head of Design at Ansarada, so closed our studio in Abergele. Visited Zurich.

  10. 2015

    Worked with Kings College Hospital and WWF UK. Published Hardboiled Web Design: Fifth Anniversary Edition. Spent time in Western Australia and the south of France. Visited Barcelona, Los Angeles, New York, and Sydney.

  11. 2014

    Opened our studio in Abergele, Wales. Spent time in the southern USA and the south of France. Visited Amsterdam, Atlanta, Barcelona, Berlin, and Oslo. Celebrated my son’s Masters degree.

  12. 2013

    Worked with SAP in Heidelberg and WIPO in Geneva. Collaborated with Mark Porter on designs for Internazionale. Spent time in Japan, and the south of France. Visited Oslo. Hired our first full-time employee.

  13. 2012

    Worked with WIPO in Geneva and Accenture on the government’s Universal Credit scheme. Spent time in Western Australia and the south of France. Visited Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Travelled to Germany and Texas.

  14. 2011

    Worked at STV in Glasgow as their part-time Head of Design. Worked with ISO Geneva. Visited Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washinton DC.

  15. 2010

    Published Hardboiled Web Design. Visited Boston, Seattle, San Diego, and Washinton DC. Drove 4,000 miles around the north western USA on our Looking for Yogi road trip.

  16. 2009

    Worked with New Internationist Magazine. Recorded three DVD video titles for New Riders. Visited Boston, Chicago, and Tokyo.

  17. 2008

    Released CSS Artistry: A Web Design Master Class. Recorded Inspired CSS Styling for a Beautiful Web DVD video for New Riders. Worked with Camel Dive Club. Spent time in Eqypt. Visited Amsterdam, Chicago, New Orleans, and New York. Drove 4,000 miles across the USA on our Between Two Oceans road trip.

  18. 2007

    Contributed a chapter to Web Standards Creativity. Visited Austin, San Francisco, Sydney, and Vancouver.

  19. 2006

    Visited Austin, New York, Reykjavik, Sydney, and Vancouver.

  20. 2005

    Sold my stake in Karova and restarted Stuff & Nonsense. Wrote and published Transcending CSS.

  21. 2004

    Started blogging and developed a reputation for designing with web standards technologies. Designed e-commerce websites for British Heart Foundation, Save The Children, and WWF UK.

  22. 2003

    Co-founded Karova and helped develop the first standards-based e-commerce platform. Designed the first standards-based e-commerce website for Disneystore UK. Put Stuff & Nonsense on hold.

  23. 1999

    Started working on Stuff & Nonsense full-time, the first time I’d been self-employed. Our first major client was Allen Group.

  24. 1998

    Left TMS Advertising. Moved to Wales and co-founded Stuff & Nonsense with my wife. Worked remotely for Dicomed Inc. and Silicon Imaging (again.) My first personal website won Site of the Month in .Net Magazine’s September issue.

  25. 1996

    Left Silicon Imaging and joined TMS Advertising to run their digital creative studio. Made my first professional website.

  26. 1993

    Left The Studio Workshop and joined Silicon Imaging to sell the first digital cameras. Sold more digital camera backs than anyone else in Europe.

  27. 1992

    My son Alex was born. Discovered I have another younger brother. Shot the first digital photograph in the UK with a Leaf DCB (digital camera back) at the Business Design Center in London.

  28. 1989

    Married Sue! We’ve been together ever since. Left South Bank Studio Center and joined The Studio Workshop.

  29. 1988

    Graduated art school with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. Moved from Nottingham to London. Started work at South Bank Studio Center.

  30. 1987

    Met my wife, Sue. I was asleep under a table and she woke me up.

  31. 1985

    Studied Fine Art at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham. Worked in bars and comic shops to pay my way.

  32. 1984

    Studied Art Foundation at Nene College, Northampton.

  33. 1983

    Finished education at Kingswood School, Corby.

  34. 1965

    Born in Lancashire in the north of England.

Hire me. I’m available now to work on product and website design projects.