An innovative design company has been commissioned to cast unique glass representations of some of the most breathtaking stretches of the North East coast.

Glass artists Jessamy Kelly and Joanne Mitchell, from Juo, captured parts of beaches at North Berwick and Whitley Bay, before returning to their studio at Sunderland’s National Glass Centre to hand-craft the finished wall mounted panels for local galleries.

Jessamy Kelly says: “The designs come directly from nature inspired by the play of light and shadow on a coastal landscape, subtly seen through the interplay of light & dark shadows.”

Jessamy launched Juo with business partner Joanne in early 2006, after they had won the University of Sunderland’s Blueprint Business Planning Award. Together they offer a varied selection of high-quality fused art glass products including giftware, wall panels, signage and corporate awards.

The business has recently been accepted onto the generate stage of Designing Demand, the national Design Council initiative to help SMEs make more effective use of design.

The programme, which is being delivered regionally by the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) and Entrust, and funded by One NorthEast and The European Regional Development Fund, is already underway in several regions throughout the UK. It aims to help and support businesses in using design to improve performance, with plans to reach 6,500 businesses nationwide by 2010, creating 4,120 jobs.

Jessamy says: “Having attended Designing Demand workshops for both designers and SMEs, we have both become very engaged with the initiative and its aims. We hope that the Generate phase will allow us to develop a wider perspective on our business expansion possibilities.”

Following the successful delivery of workshops across the region, Designing Demand’s Generate stage will allow businesses the opportunity to undertake strategic projects with support from the Design Council.

Willie Herdman, Special Projects Manager at the North East BIC, says: “Many of the companies who have attended the workshops are greatly anticipating the beginning of Generate, as it is this phase which can allow SMEs to get up to five days’ free, expert one-to-one support from a Design Associate, who will help the business to identify and run the right project to move forward. We are delighted to have such a bright and innovative company as Juo on board for this exciting next stage.”

To find out more contact Willie Herdman on 0191 516 6140 or at willie.herdman@ne-bic.co.uk or visit designanddemand.org.uk to book a place on a workshop