Design Talk with Mark
2025
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Floral Art vs Floral Design
WatchDecember 2025
- A discussion on the differences and relationship between the various fields of Floral Art & Floral Design, Flower Arranging & Floristry
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New Trends & Techniques
WatchDecember 2025
- What do you consider to be the current trend or techniques in Floral Art?
- New approaches to developing design styles
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Design Review
WatchDecember 2025
- A review of a radial, formal-linear design with upwardly directed proportions
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What is an "Arrangement"?
WatchNovember 2025
- A discussion of the distinctions between floral designs and floral arrangements
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Design Review
WatchNovember 2025
- A review of a radial, formal-linear design with upwardly directed proportions
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Diagonal Lines
WatchOctober 2025
- A review of a radial, formal-linear design with upwardly directed proportions
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Design Review
WatchOctober 2025
- A review of another(!) leaning design - a design with an inclined/diagonal dominant axis
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Material Distribution
WatchSeptember 2025
- Mark shares some of his rules and guidelines for distributing materials in a design
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World Cup '25 Review
WatchSeptember 2025
- Some of my favourite moments and most inspirational designs from World Cup Floral Art 2025
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Design Review
WatchSeptember 2025
- A review of a leaning design - a design with an inclined/diagonal dominant axis
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Is it a "Hand-Tied"
WatchAugust 2025
- Some definitions
- Hand-tied bouquets, designs, structures and compositions
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Working with White Containers
WatchAugust 2025
- The challenges of working with white - Dominance, Contrast and Harmony
- Considerations, suggestions and tips
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Design Review
WatchAugust 2025
- Mark reviews a long design - a design with downwardly directed proportions
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Line Direction
WatchJuly 2025
- What is "Line Direction" in floral design?
- Visual and implied lines
- Systems of line organisation
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Design Review
WatchJuly 2025
- Review of a contemporary arrangement for a foyer entrance table to the theme "Grass and Glass"
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Displacement
WatchJune 2025
- Displacement - an opportunity to proactively explore visual balance through asymmetry
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Using a Given Plinth
WatchJune 2025
- Given a plinth that you must use in a design, what percentage of the plinth needs to be used?
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Design Review
WatchJune 2025
- Review of a wreath created using only two varieties of materials - Dianthus and Equisetum
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Technical Aspects of a Leaning Design
WatchMay 2025
- An explanation of some of the technical aspects of the construction of a leaning design
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Symmetry in Contemporary Design
WatchMay 2025
- How to apply symmetry in contemporary design
- Silhouettes & Forms
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Directing Proportions in Formal-Linear Designs
WatchMay 2025
- Some examples of Formal-Linear designs with proportions directed horizontally, diagonally or downward
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Design Review
WatchMay 2025
- Some examples of Formal-Linear designs with proportions directed horizontally, diagonally or downward
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Positioning of Radial Points
WatchApril 2025
- Mark discusses principles to consider when determining radial points in a floral design.
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An Overlapping Formal-Linear Design
WatchFebruary 2025
- An explanation of the thinking behind a some "controversial" placements in a formal-linear design
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Oasis Renewal Foral Foam
WatchFebruary 2025
- A review of Oasis Renewal, a new sustainable floristry medium
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Design Review
WatchFebruary 2025
- A review of a design on a plinth created to the theme "Waterfall" for the Lincolnshire Show
2024
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Oval Tatami Shapes
WatchDecember 2024
- On making and using oval forms using the tatami technique, with tips for finish, strength and durability.
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Formal-Linear Designs
WatchDecember 2024
- Exploring how low round forms, repetition, and generous negative space can strengthen rhythm and harmony while still keeping a design truly formal linear.
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Design Review
WatchDecember 2024
- A contemporary floral design is transformed through focused critique on balance, proportion, and line.
- A contemporary floral design is transformed through focused critique on balance, proportion, and line.
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Handmade Chicken Wire
WatchNovember 2024
Create your own handmade “chicken wire” armatures with stub wire and other materials for structure, transparency and texture in your designs.
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The Tatami Technique
WatchNovember 2024
- How a centuries‑old Japanese matting tradition becomes a modern floristic technique.
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Even Numbers
WatchNovember 2024
- Even numbers can create unresolved visual tension; thoughtful grouping and linking materials transform that tension into controlled rhythm.
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Hanging vs Suspended Designs
WatchOctober 2025
- What's the difference between hanging vs suspended designs?
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Adhesive Mechanics
WatchOctober 2024
- Discover how circles, density and contrast can create powerful focal areas— even when you’re working with just one or two materials.
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Focal Areas with Limited Material Variety
WatchOctober 2024
- Create powerful focal areas in your floral designs, even with limited material variety.
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Degree of Difficulty Criteria
WatchSeptember 2024
- Some considerations for choosing and executing techniques to address the "degree of difficulty" criteria in a floral competition schedule.
- Some considerations for choosing and executing techniques to address the "degree of difficulty" criteria in a floral competition schedule.
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Handmade Spider Web without Wire
WatchSeptember 2024
- “Spider web” structures don't have to be made of wire. Here’s how I go about creating them with alternative materials.
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Clarifying Parallelism
WatchSeptember 2024
- Why true parallel floral design depends less on how stems enter the foam and more on which lines the eye can actually see.
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Composite Flowers
WatchJuly 2024
- What is a composite flower (or melia), examples made from different materials and guidance on making them.
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Elevating Designs
WatchJuly 2024
- Elevating your designs and their impact. Lift visual weight, play with negative space and embolden even the most minimal arrangements.
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Singapore Basket Design
WatchJuly 2024
- Mark explains how he made the large basket in his booth display at the Singapore Flower and Garden Show.
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Why I Mirror My Posts
WatchMay 2024
Why are my floral photos always mirrored? How reflections boost impact, branding, and screen space - all from a single design.
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Upside-Down Hydration
WatchMay 2024
- Is hydration always necessary, and how to keep botanical materials hydrated while using them upside-down.
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Wire Feet
May 2024
How to make wire feet that make your arrangements stand taller, lighter, and more dynamic.
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Displacement
WatchApril 2024
Create strongly asymmetrical designs by moving the main focal area away from the container while maintaining visual and physical balance.
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Compostible Floral Foam
WatchApril 2024
- Mark discusses principles to consider when determining radial points in a floral design.
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Philadelphia Flower Show
WatchMarch 2024
- "Connected" - An adventure with the Schaefer design team at the Philadelphia Flower Show
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Harmony through Rhythm
WatchMarch 2024
- Creating rhythm in designs using gradation, repetition, and line direction.
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Directing Proportions
WatchFebruary 2024
- How proportions are determined by the dominant external dimensions (height, width, depth) and the energetic flow of lines.
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Design Review
WatchFebruary 2024
- How I built a blue-themed floral design featuring a central column of cardboard truncated cones.
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Tatami
WatchJanuary 2024
Approaches to creating strong, well finished tatami structures with wires, grasses and other materials.
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Analysing Your Container
WatchJanuary 2024
Train your eye to see more clearly, expand your design vocabulary, and discover the creative possibilities can can come from a single starting point.
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Competition Theme Interpretation
WatchJanuary 2024
- A systematic approach to competition theme interpretation combining analysis of the brief with floral design principles, using as an example one of his award winning competition entries.
