Hoping for a relaxing break to recharge the batteries he found that three weeks in the South Atlantic could throw up more inspiration than any number of design books, blogs or museums. Cruising around South America had it all. Just like the trip to London in October it was a reminder to keep your eyes open and take in what is around you. There was so much more creative on show than you could imagine, with Buenos Aires the real highlight.

The streets were abundant with creativity. The Argentine Tango could be found on every street corner. Paintings and murals, graffiti that would be frowned upon back home, jet washed and forgotten about, was here for all to appreciate. These gave each district its own distinct personality. La Boca in its blue and yellow and its passion for football, Caminto has its delightful, playful rainbow of homes steeped in tradition and the shopping district has its own graphic style of street art. Characters you’d be happy to have sitting in your vinyl toy collection.

An example of the 'street art' in the shopping district of Buenos Aires.

Moving on from Buenos Aires and on to Uruguay it was evident the creativity was not confined to the Argentine capital. Plastic mermaids (created to demonstrate the time plastic takes to erode) adorned the Punta Del Este Coast along with a giant ‘hand in the sand’, perfect photo opportunities for the tourists. Being South America, with its unrivaled love of football, the Museo Del Football was an obvious tourist destination. Along side the obligatory trophy much of the exhibition was centered around the art of football, posters from all of the major tournaments. It was a football loving, designer’s dream.

Mermaids at Punta Del Este

Artwork from the Museo Del Futbol in Montevideo

Of course design wasn’t the only thing on the menu. Unrivaled scenery, canoeing around Tierra Del Fuego and a full circle of Cape Horn helped to make this a real holiday to remember. The opportunity to witness a volcanic eruption, penguins in the wild and whale watching all added to the renewed energy and enthusiasm for the year ahead. It just goes to prove inspiration comes easiest when you’re not actually searching for it. When all you want to do is shut off, keeping your eyes open might be all that you need.