Designer Stories: Trafford Labs

This month in Designer Stories, we step into the creative world of Trafford Labs, one of Facer’s standout watch designers with over 40,000 followers. Known for an aesthetic that masterfully blends tradition and innovation, Trafford Labs has built a distinct identity that resonates with fans of mechanical watches who value originality and sleek, modern style.

In this exclusive interview, we explore the inspirations, challenges, and creative breakthroughs that define his work; and how Trafford Labs continues to push the boundaries of modern watch design.

Tell us about yourself!

Hey there, thanks for having me! My name is Nathan Trafford and I am the founder and designer of Trafford Watch Co, based in Austin, Texas. I’m originally from northern England, but my accent is long gone, I’m afraid!

What got you interested in watch face design? How did you find Facer?

I’ve always been a fan of watches, specifically the mechanical variants. I love to be able to see, hear and even feel the movement of all of the mechanical parts. They’re so small yet so precise, and I find that fascinating.

Anyway, I was raised in the fine arts and eventually made my way into the professional design world, working at several large advertising agencies after graduating from art school. It was during this time that I really mastered the digital design tools.

I remember one specific day I was in a meeting, sketching a watch (not unusual for me at the time), and my coworker sitting next to me asked me if I’d ever thought about putting one of my designs onto the face of a digital watch. I was intrigued by this, and before I ever even owned a smartwatch I had designed a handful of different watch faces on the Facer platform.

I was completely hooked. I went and purchased a smartwatch and got it working on my wrist. The rest, as they say, is history. I spent a couple of years living and breathing watch face design and was having a blast.

At some point I had the desire to get a small amount of mechanical watches manufactured to give to my family and friends. I quickly learned that these things had to be made in massive amounts, which led me to creating my first Kickstarter campaign to get funding. It was successful, and this little bubble of an idea has blossomed into a global brand, selling thousands of watches per year. It’s still absolutely crazy to me!

I still use Facer, though not so much in a public facing way. It is an ideal prototyping tool for me, where I can quickly test dial designs directly on the wrist. I love the full-circle aspect of starting with a love for mechanical watches, then moving into digital, and then coming back into the mechanical world armed with everything I’ve learned along the way.

Which of your watch face designs are you most proud of and why?

There are many that I’m proud of, but the one I’ll choose here is the Ascot GT because that was the watch face that I decided I wanted to make mechanical. It is such a fun story with how it went from a digital design, going through the Kickstarter process, and finally becoming real. It launched my current career, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it.

What inspires your watch face designs? Any recurring themes or influences?

I take inspiration from all over the place. A lot of the time it’s simple things like objects or scenery that I have around me. For example with the latest series of Crossroads, I took both color and texture inspiration from specific wildflowers found in this part of the country.

I like setting boundaries and rules for myself, and this was true when I was doing watch faces full time. I would often pick a theme before designing any watch faces. For example I remember doing a set of designs based on British aircrafts from World War 2. Or another set that revolved around the design language of Cafe Racer style motorcycles.

The more rules that you can set for yourself, the more cohesive the design set will end up being. This applies to pretty much all forms of creativity, not just design!

How do you approach balancing aesthetics with functionality in your designs?

Whether creating digital or mechanical watches, the most important thing for me at the end of the day is legibility. Everything always begins as a black and white design, and I’m constantly checking to see if it is legible on-wrist.

Once the shapes and forms feel good, then I go in and add colors and textures. As for functionality, I’ll often have an idea of a different way to show a function and I’ll start there in the design. I’ll then work outwards from that and see what comes to the surface.

I was never a designer that wanted to have as much data and functionality as possible in my designs. It’s too much for me. So I’d always limit it, or find ways to hide it where the user can access it if they want to.

What tips would you give to someone just starting on Facer?

Blank canvases can be scary. Setting rules for myself before starting always helps to bring more succinct design ideas to the surface. It’s also valuable to go through the process of writing down a creative brief. What is the goal of the design? What are the mandatories? Who is the design for? etc.

Sometimes when I’m stuck, it’s also fun to take a design I’ve done and reimagine it in a different dimension — what does this motorcycle design look like in a space travel style? A curious mind stays young!

Anything else you would like to add?

Just how grateful I am to the entire Facer team. I’ve been able to do things in the last 5 years that I never dreamed would be a possibility, and the joy, camaraderie and positivity I found within the Facer group was a boost that I could not replace.

I made lasting friends along the way, and that is something I will always be grateful for.

The Facer team gives huge thanks to Trafford Labs for sharing his time and insights, and to our readers for joining us along the way. Stay tuned for next month’s Designer Stories; we’ve got another standout creator lined up, and you won’t want to miss what’s coming to your watch face.