I came across these two words a few years ago and like most people it was hard to comprehend the meaning at first glance but as soon as I started to read about it, it really struck a chord, I loved it, it sums up what we do and our approach so well.
The movement began quite a few years ago, at least pre 2010, by way of creating something that represented the antithesis of the fast food industry and the throw away society that has almost taken over the world in so many areas in the last twenty five to thirty years.
There is a lot of very interesting reading online on this subject but the description below is one of the best that I have come across, it was written by American journalist Colin Dunn a few years ago for a weblog called TreeHugger.
"Slow design, much like its gastronomic predecessor, is all about pulling back on the reins and taking time to do things well, do them responsibly and do them in a way that allows the designer, the artisan and the end user to derive pleasure from it. Just like Slow Food, it's all about using local ingredients, harvested and put together in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Above all, it emphasises thoughtful, methodical, slow creation and consumption of products as a way to combat the sometimes overwhelming pace of of life in the bigger-faster-now 21st century."