Orchard New Website

Every 18 months or so we like to give our website a good old facelift, but this year we decided to pull out the stops and completely revamp it from the ground up. 

We were focused on providing a better user experience - giving people the information they wanted right when they wanted it. With such a diverse product range of drawing equipment, paper storage systems and light boxes the challenge of producing all the extra content was immense. 

We hope that you like the results as the new Orchard website is by far the most comprehensive insight into what we do and a great ambassador for the Orchard brand (which from an in-house production you'd hope so!)

CHECK OUT TheBigOrchard.com

Make sure you'll following us on all the usual channels too for all the latest chat:

www.facebook.com/TheBigOrchard
www.youtube.com/TheBigOrchard
www.twitter.com/TheBigOrchard

Wakefield Up In Flames

Wakefield's time to shine

It was our turn to shine earlier today as the torch passed right through the heart of the city, to a mass of spectators and well-wishers. In true Yorkshire style they did not disappoint, as the torch was met with rapturous applause and cheer. 


It really is amazing how such a diverse community as Wakefield can all get together really share in the experience. Designed to be a homage to athleticism and community spirit the torch bearers are all chosen for being true ambassadors to their area. 

Gayna Goalby (left) is a teacher at Westborough high school and has done amazing work for disabled and underprivelaged children in the area. She was charged with carrying the flame over the stunning (triumph to architecture) Hepworth Gallery footbridge, where it was met by Karen Townsend. Karen is a plastic surgery nurse who helped many of the survivors of the Bradford City Staduim fire in 1985.

Although this is the third time that London has hosted the Olympics, the fact is that we would be very lucky to see it again in our lifetimes. With so many up and coming developing countries, we could see future games held in some very interesting places indeed. With any luck, The Big Orchard will have a hand in supplying the Legacy Companies for those too!


The whole experience seemed to be over in a flash, with carnival style buses preceding the bearers themselves. To catch a glimpse of the torch, if only for a moment, really brings it home - we are all a part of these Games even if the focus will mainly be on London. I can't wait for the games to get under way - shame about the football, but what a summer for England.

LED Light Tables - The Future is bright

Light Tables and LED Light Boxes

Design constraints always exist with light tables, but maybe the outlook is a little different. Typically the technology to create a large back-lit light table has always revolved around standard florescent tubes which provide the intensity and colour requirements for detailed design and plan review work.

ORCHARD have now developed the perfect LED light box solution which allows professional light boxes to be manufactured in almost any size or shape. A0, A1, A2 and A3 light boxes are obviously match the standard paper sizes for most design, art or photography applications, but our LED system allows our designers to think outside the box when developing a new light table - make the light area large enough to meet requirement, but why stop there?

The modern design studio is always looking to impress clients and create an inspirational environment for its employees. These types of breakthrough designs where practical viewing equipment is combined with stylish, designed and refined furniture provide the best of both worlds.

From minimalist to extravagant, Orchard can develop the right light table for the requirement.

The Future of Drawing Equipment

When I get chatting to someone in a Pub and the question of "What do you do for a living?" crops up, there is always a set sequence of events.

Firstly I tell them I work for a drawing board manufacturer. They either say "What? Pieces of wood?" or, if they are a little more worldly-wise "Drawing Boards? I didn't think people still used drawing boards?". I then proceed to tell them that both students and professional designers / architects all do indeed still use drawing boards and even though computers undoubtedly have their place, you still can't beat pencil and paper for getting ideas down.

So I was in the Cross Keys in Leeds last Wednesday night (Burns night) and there was a young lad working on his laptop at the bar. I couldn't see what was on his screen, but as I was ordering drinks I couldn't help notice his sketch book as he drew exotic and fancy profiles of buildings and interior layouts.

I couldn't help myself. "What are you working on?" at which point I noticed that sleep probably hadn't been on his agenda for quite some time. He was a third year architectural student called Tom studying in Leeds and was glad to show me his project; a rather striking building he was designing for his current assignment. He showed me his recent portfolio of sketches in his book - hundreds of lovingly drawn ideas from the basic to the sublime. Sketched, re-sketched, coloured and crossed out, this book represented the inner workings of his mind over the last year. On his screen was the half finished model with every detail from his sketch faithfully reproduced in wire frame.

"And what is it you do for a living?" he asked, sipping from his extra, extra black coffee.
"Ever heard of 'Orchard'?" I asked with a wry smile. He looked puzzled for a moment then suddenly remembering the name "we use Orchard drawing tables at Uni".
"That's us. We make them only a few miles away" I told him.
"No way? You actually make that stuff?"

It turns out his entire department is kitted out with Orchard drawing equipment and he uses it every day. What's more he loves using it and finds something very 'romantic' about drawing on paper. The cold hard machine that was his laptop was just a tool to him, a way of saving his ideas in 1's and 0's. His real love, his creativity, could only be released through paper and pencil and that was the reason he loved architecture.

Three years in to a seven year course he admitted that it is a long hard slog, but well worth the rewards at the end of it. To find yourself designing something which will actually get built. Knowing that you are in a position to create a visual impact on millions who see, live and work inside your creations for years to come.

He told me about the responsibility ahead of him. Medicine takes 5 years but you can only ever kill one person at once. Architecture takes so much longer because one mistake could have catastrophic consequences. I could see he was keen to get back to his work so with that I wished him well and left him to it.

I have to admit. Although I am a creative, I don't really know how to get the most out of a drawing board. Not like how Tom could at any rate. We make them, sell them then make some more knowing that the product is perfect for the job but not being able to do the 'job' ourselves.

We are organic beings, as much as we claim to know and understand computers they will always stifle basic creativity to some extent and so I see a bright future for the humble drawing board as the trusty companion for architects like Tom, designers and artists the world over.

Orchard Mirrors the Fashion World

Mirroring Fashion


As far as the world of fashion is concerned, if drawing boards do have their place then its only in the design studio. Last summer something extraordinary happened as drawing boards and fashion were brought together for a world class display of male suits in Somerset house in London.

Esquire Magazine led the drive to showcase 18 of the finest garments the worlds leading fashion houses and designers had to offer. Teamed up with major artist the goal was to create an artistic vision which demonstrated superb styling with an exquisite attention to detail. Each vision was then presented in full splendor next to a fully mirrored Orchard drawing board with polished chrome stand.

Granted, not all of the suits on display were practical, but the designers were able to let their artistic juices flow and catch the eye of the worlds media as the opening night was star studded with the likes of Graham Norton, Bonnie Wright & George Lamb.

Euro Shop Exhibition Dusseldorf

One key event on the display systems calendar was earlier this year at the Euroshop Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. Companies from all over the world came together to show off their innovations and concepts in the world of product placement.

If you were prepared to walk around all the 20+ halls which make up Messe, you could find a display system for pretty much any application.

Orchard were over there for 3 days helping out the lads at Tecnostyl who had a prime spot display stand right in the entrance to one of the main halls.

Quite a noticeable proportion of the weird and wonderful creations people had devised involved 3D in one form or another.

Depth perspective when presenting products on screen or virtually seems to be the in-thing; providing a novelty factor which draws a crowd if nothing else. I guess the whole point is to get people looking at your product, 3D makes that almost too easy.

Failing 3D, good old fashioned illumination is always a crowd-pleaser. LED poster displays were pretty much everywhere and you had to admit they were effective - guiding your eyes and telling a story at the same time.

Even though none were like the artistic light boxes used for photography or tracing they still pack a visual punch with colourful printed acetate graphics.