*Editor's note: As Mike says in the summary, we asked him to write a blog about the changes he's seen in the design industry during his career. We knew we'd get something a little different from what we asked for, but what we got was even better than what we thought. Let this blog act as a wonderful reminder of what art can really do.

Art and other creative endeavours are often seen as frivolous pastimes and are usually the first thing to face the cuts when the powers that be decide that money needs to be saved.

While this short-sightedness would in itself be enough for a blog in its own right, there have been points in history when art has saved lives.

In 1914 Europe is at war. The belligerents look for ways to restrict their opponents’ ability to support the war – leading Britain’s Navy to successfully blockade Germany’s ports and its fleet. But while Britain rules the waves, it certainly doesn’t have things its own way underneath them. German submarines cause chaos in the Atlantic and prove remarkably hard to defend against.

A submarine hiding under the water is hard to spot. A massive metal ship on the surface? Not so much. The British Admiralty’s solution? Hire an artist.

Marine artist Norman Wilkinson is credited as coming up with the solution. Instead of painting ships sea grey, they would be painted complex patterns of geometric shapes in contrasting colours. These Dazzle ships, as they would become known, are fascinating to see. Rather than hide the ship, these floating optical illusions make it very difficult to even assess which direction they are facing, never mind speed and distance. Unfortunately records are sparse and few photos exist, but those that do demonstrate artistic ingenuity exists in the unlikeliest of places and need not be confined to a canvas on the wall.