The Blooming Platypus

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The Blooming Platypus

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from The Blooming Platypus, Consulting Agency, 115 New Bridge Street, Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Blooming Platypus is a Design Innovation consultancy with a passion to help future-proof organisations, their business model and activities by creating opportunities using design thinking, tools and methods.

02/02/2026

Brogan & Justine were off to a windy, but exciting start on our new project last Friday! They definitely have some thrilling days ahead of them ✨

28/01/2026

At The Blooming Platypus, we believe we can make the world a better place. And through our work, we get to do it in a meaningful and ethical way. We’re all about having a positive impact on the people and the planet.

We’re optimists. But we’re not naive.

And because we’re serious about doing better, we decided to join the Design Declares movement in December 2024.

Design Declares is a growing group of designers, design studios, agencies, and institutions here to declare a climate and ecological emergency.

As part of the global declaration movement, we commit to harnessing the tools of our industry to re-imagine, re-build and heal our world.

If that sounds interesting, you can find out more about Design Declares, or sign in to Declare Emergency here: https://lnkd.in/eS-pFkZy

17/11/2025

« But we’ve already tried this! »

Have you ever heard your team say, “we’ve tried everything”… but nothing’s worked? Sometimes, the problem isn’t the effort; it’s in the perspective. If you keep asking the same questions, you’ll get the same answers.

For that exact reason, all our work starts by reframing the challenge you bring us. We dig into what’s really going on. Not just what’s visible on the surface. We speak to people across your organisation and beyond to uncover new patterns, new needs, and new ideas. And this is where change begins.

If you feel like you’re stuck in a loop, we can help you see things differently. Just reach out!

-—
📸 | Illustrative picture from one of our workshops back in February 2025.

13/11/2025

Do you feel like you’re stuck on a challenge? Then step away, and ideally outside.

Some of our best ideas, or project breakthroughs, don’t happen in meetings; they happen on a walk, in gardens, or on the train. But most of all, they happen when we stop staring at the problem and start noticing the world around us.

In our projects (and we know many others do too!), we deliberately build in reflection time. Pausing is not a wasted space: it’s a fertile ground. Fresh insights need breathing room to occur, which is why we balance research and rigour with room to breathe and notice. That’s how we find what’s truly meaningful.

And if you need a bit more convincing, we truly recommend this old gem of a book by Frans Johansson: The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us about Innovation. This book will show you that great ideas often emerge when we step away from our challenges and step into new, unfamiliar places.

So, where will your next walk take you?

PS: I really enjoyed this rainy walk in Leazes Park, Newcastle, during my lunch break. A few autumnal pictures to bring a bit of nature (and innovation) to your desk.

10/11/2025

What actually happens when you go through Rapid Design Interventions (AKA fast-paced co-creative workshops)? // 🇫🇷 Que se passe-t-il réellement lorsque vous participez à des Interventions de Design Rapide (ateliers de co-création au rythme soutenu) ? (version française disponible sur Linked In).

At The Blooming Platypus, we love running Rapid Design Interventions: short and intense workshops, full of creativity, where teams and/or stakeholders pause, rethink, and move forward with purpose.

They’re fast, focused, and co-creative and can be delivered as a stand-alone piece, but they truly reveal their full potential when they are part of a larger, more committed project. Because the real magic is in what happens afterwards.

Over the years, we’ve seen three key outcomes emerge again and again:

💡 Confidence that leads to action: people grow their creative confidence and entrepreneurial agency, enabling them to trust their ideas and take action.
🧭 Strategic clarity: teams and stakeholders step back together, reflect, and see where they’re heading, giving them clarity about where they’re going and where they want to go as an organisation or community.
🌱 A culture of innovation: creative ways of working spread across the organisation or the community and design innovation starts to take root in how teams think and act, leading to long, lasting change.

And it doesn’t stop there. Months, even years later, those early sparks often grow into new projects, partnerships, and products. These outcomes are the seeds of long-term change: they aren’t just about solving problems. They are about growing people, clarity, and culture. And it takes time and effort.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more about these three key outcomes we consistently observe following interventions, and what they mean for teams, leaders, and organisations.

✨ Stay tuned if you want to see how a few hours of collaboration and co-creation can kickstart and ripple into months (or even years) of change.

07/11/2025

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹. 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿.
Do you think innovation means a big, shiny, brand-new idea? Then you’re not alone! Most organisations do, and by doing so, often miss what’s already there.

Your people, processes, and resources are full of untapped potential. For that very reason, we work with leadership teams to identify it, connect with it differently, and turn this potential into fresh opportunities without starting from scratch.

Innovation isn’t always about building something new. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective to unlock hidden potential and new opportunities.

Do you want to get more value from what you already have? Get in touch (via Dr Justine Carrion-Weiss )!

—
📸: Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival 2025. A Design Sprint we facilitated and sponsored by Stantec, Jacobs & Aqua Consultants, looking at making existing assets ‘greener’.

13/06/2025

What if the best way to solve a big challenge or address a sticky situation is to invite everyone in the same room?

Ok. Not everyone, EVERYONE. But Rapid Design Interventions (also known as co-creative workshops, design workshops, and design sprints) help organisations bring together diverse voices to understand a challenge or situation from every angle.

The way in which these interventions are designed, facilitated and their settings provide a safe space in which people feel heard, allowing them to creatively contribute - even though they had told us « I’m not creative » at the begining of the session.

And that’s when the magic happens* - by building their creative confidence, participants start coming up with ideas they didn’t know they had. More, they also build the courage to try them out!

So if you feel like your team’s feeling stuck, get in touch and let’s get things moving again, together.

* These is not bold claims, but rather part of the Rapid Design Interventions outcomes uncovered in our director’s (Dr Justine Carrion-Weiss ) doctoral study.

09/06/2025

Ever found yourself not doing the very thing you help others do?

👞 You know that saying, You can always tell a cobbler by their shoes? Well… I’m guilty. VERY guilty of it.

In my day-to-day at The Blooming Platypus, I use design to help organisations find clarity, direction, and strategy. And yet, I recently realised I’d stopped doing that for my own business.

Why? Like most small business owners at the beginning, I have to wear all the hats at the same time, and I lost track. These past few months, I’ve been busy working IN the business, not ON it. Supporting clients, running workshops, delivering projects - super exciting and brilliant! But I turned into a hamster running in a wheel. Not looking further than the tip of my nose.

That’s changing now! I’ve paused, taken a break, reflected, and I’ve carved out time these past few weeks to be more intentional about where The Blooming Platypus is going. My business is my baby, and it deserves the same strategic care I give others.

And if you’re great at supporting others but need help focusing on your own next steps, I’m right here to help out. And I get it!

- Justine

27/11/2024

𝗠𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗦𝗧

As many of you know, I moved across from France about 10 years ago, and got into design around the same time. Leaving everything behind was hard, but navigating a new creative field feeling like an imposter, and then starting a business in a foreign country with few connections was even harder! Believe it or not, I struggled to build meaningful connections and find my tribe.

But that was before I found out about . Thanks to the incredible work the Newcastle’s chapter co-leads from & from & their team ( & ) do, I’ve met some incredibly inspiring women —bold, entrepreneurial, unapologetically living their passion and true trailblazers, but above all, kind and generous. Yes, I’m looking at you , , , , & amongst many others.

This creative community just blows my mind a little bit more every time. It is full of love and support, and there is always someone ready to jump in to offer advice, critical feedback, a listening ear, or a giggle in times of need. Seeing it in action at every single event is just something really special.

The work Sarah, Dan & their team (past & present) do is absolutely essential for the North East creative community. They do more than organising fun and creative events. They offer a safe space where we, women and non-binary creatives, can be fully ourselves and embrace creativity in all shapes and forms. They also help us (re)build our creative confidence, which ultimately leads to more entrepreneurial behaviours. So they deserve a massive token of appreciation and a big THANK YOU for their fantastic work and dedication!

And in case you were wondering how cool the Ladies, Wine, and Design events were and how much I enjoy them, here is some photographic evidence from the extra talented . Pictures are from the past two LWD Newcastle events: disco ball floral arrangements with Lauren from and scone making with the one-of-a-kind Emma Carlton at

11/11/2024

The team has had an incredibly productive year! 🌟 Justine, Charlie & Baraa have been driving forward innovation as part of their previous roles at Northumbria University with four new academic publications! 📚✨

In August, Justine & Charlie showcased their work on the international stage at the DMI Academic Conference at TU Delft, Netherlands 🇳🇱, both presenting as lead author and collaborating with Baraa and Professor Mark Bailey on a third paper. Adding to this momentum, Justine co-authored a publication presented by Dr. Nicholas Spencer at the E&PDE Conference in Birmingham in early September. 🎓📍

Over the coming months, we’re excited to dive into the key insights from these impactful publications. We'll start with Rapid Design Interventions ⚡, followed by explorations in Design Innovation Education. 💡

Stay tuned every other week for insights we hope will inspire and inform your practice! Enjoy! 😊

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Rapid Design Interventions publications mentioned:
Bailey, M., Carrion-Weiss, J., Albaqali, B., Spencer, N., Hemstock, O., & Richardson, C. (2024). Design Facilitation: Mid-term impacts and outcomes of a design-led innovation readiness programme for micro-SMEs. Design & Innovation at a Crossroad. 24th dmi: Academic Design Management Conference, TU Delft, Netherlands.

Carrion-Weiss, J., Bailey, M., Spencer, N., & Simmons, H. (2024, July 16). Exploring Creative Confidence & Entrepreneurial Agency as drivers of Creative Resilience through Rapid Design Interventions. Design & Innovation at a Crossroad. 24th dmi: Academic Design Management Conference, TU Delft, Netherlands.

Design Innovation Education publications mentioned:
Richardson, C. & Harrison, D. (2024) Unlocking Threshold Concepts: Transforming Student Identities through an International 'Year-Out' Multidisciplinary Design Education Programme. Design & Innovation at a Crossroad. 24th dmi: Academic Design Management Conference, TU Delft, Netherlands.

Spencer, N., Carrion-Weiss, J., & Simmons, H. (2024). A hyper-local place-based pedagogy for exploring design justice, ontological design and systems entanglement. 26th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, p. 514. https://doi.org/10.35199/EPDE.2024.86

25/09/2024

☀ It’s been an exciting and whirlwind summer, and we’ve been so busy that our socials took a little vacation! But don’t worry—we’re back and have some amazing updates to share with you over the coming weeks.

First up: a massive milestone for our founder, Dr. Justine Carrion-Weiss ! In June, she was appointed as a Design Expert for the , a role that recognises her innovative and responsible contributions to the world of design. To kick off her 3-year journey, she attended her first Design Experts gathering at the iconic Craft Council in London this July—watch out for the pink trousers in the group photo!

The event brought together over 240 Design Experts from all corners of the UK, representing a wide range of design professions. It was a perfect chance to meet the inspiring Design Council team, connect with brilliant minds in design, and dive deeper into the Design Council’s impactful history and their “Design for the Planet” mission.

Stay tuned because this is just the beginning of some of the exciting things that have happened over the past few months! ✨

05/07/2024

💧It is almost NWG (Northumbrian Water Group) time! As a design innovation practitioner, this is by far one of my most exciting week of the year!

🏘 Next week, we will be working with partners from Social Housing Innovation North East (SHINE); Steve Key & Alice Van Sertima from believe housing, Christine Paxton & Graeme Tuckwell from Karbon Homes, as well as Bernicia Group, Gentoo Group, North Star Housing Group & Thirteen Group.

🗾 Together with participants, we’ll be developing a shared GIS map to enable closer collaboration and increase effectiveness when addressing the common challenges social housing providers and their partners face.

✨ I am also looking forward to catching up with festival friends & meet new faces too!

👋 If you’re there, come & say hello!

Address

115 New Bridge Street
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE12SW

Website

http://www.thebloomingplatypus.com/

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