Max

The beautiful logo for this website was designed and created by Max Mendez, a lifelong friend of Lissenden Gardens.  Max grew up over the way on Parliament Hill, attended Gospel Oak Primary School and then William Ellis.  Much of his youth was (mis)spent hanging out with friends in Lissenden, at the adventure playground, grass fights behind the flats, summers in the Lido….. and in many of the local watering holes in later years.  If you frequented the Steeles in the ‘80s you probably recognise his face.

When it came to commissioning the perfect representation of the flats to grace our webpages, Max was the obvious choice.

Having spent his formative years in this neighbourhood, Max chose to study industrial design at Ravensbourne University.  Then followed many years of international travel and brand design experience, resulting in a very successful partnership (both professional and personal) with Kerry Findlay. 

Max and Kerry opted for the sunshine and now run their own brand, Squidinki, from their base in Sydney, Australia.  In a departure from the business of all things branding, Squidinki is an outlet for Max’s cheeky humour and creative talent, and Kerry’s razor-sharp business skills.  Although the current focus is mainly rooted in Australian culture and zoology, there are plans mooted for a more European imprint, which will hopefully come our way sometime in the near future (although we aim to avoid bias and sponsorship on this site, we are very happy to return the favour Max did for us and offer this shameless plug).

It didn’t take a moment for Max to understand what was needed for our website, and he has captured the soul of Lissenden as only a good friend could.

Max continues to visit his home turf as often as health and business allow.  His mother has long stopped accepting his dirty washing, but she is always pleased to see him, as are the local hostelries, and of course his family and many friends.  He will always be an honorary member of the neighbourhood, and we are very grateful to him for his generous and charming contribution to the website, capturing ‘the flats’ so perfectly.