Essey is the story not of the evolution of design but rather of an evolution in design. In the world of nature shapes are defined by their function, it forms the very essence of our natural world. In the world of design, shapes often only bear slight resemblance to their function, if at all. How many times have we looked at something and wondered what it is, or what it is used for? The world of design is not always in harmony with the world of nature and it is this imbalance that needs to be corrected. The belief of Essey founder John Brauer, that function should be representative of natural form, is at the very core of the company and is at the heart of its design philosophy - Symbolic Functionalism.