The Studio

Analogue Desk Co. is a one-person workshop in London making calm tech: physical instruments that show digital data without the distraction of a screen.

I'm Simon Pickles. I studied furniture and product design, then spent ten years building science museums around the world, for clients ranging from the Science Museum in London to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis and Science Centre Singapore. Exhibits that had to survive constant public handling and be understood in seconds. After that came software, and fourteen years of screens. I missed making things you can hold.

IDX came out of wanting a way to keep an eye on a number I care about without looking at a phone. 

The Build

IDX is designed and hand-assembled in the UK. Every unit is built, calibrated and finished by hand at my bench. It connects to WiFi and points a needle at any live figure you give it.

Honest Hardware: Open Architecture

I believe in ownership and open architecture. Documentation and developer guides are available for anyone who wants to customise the firmware or connect their own APIs. No cloud subscriptions, no locked ecosystems, no forced updates.

The Batch Model

There's no mass production here. I work in batches to keep the quality where I want it, which means runs are small and occasionally sold out.

Custom commissions and bulk orders are welcome. Reach out via the Contact page.