Company Description
Steve Gresham graduated with a first-class honours degree in design and before becoming a yacht designer he worked as a car stylist for Formula 1 team Williams Grand Prix Racing. He worked on developing championship-winning race cars using resources such as a wind tunnel.
Gresham’ sketching and drawing abilities are his signature strength — he can explore designs on the page and has a keen understanding of 3D form, which he can express with ease. His model-making abilities mark him out as an original designer in the superyacht industry.
Gresham believes that the design of a yacht is dictated by an owner’ wishes and requirements, and in 2013 he set up his own studio Gresham Yacht Design. The designer focuses on creating current and innovative yachts, avoiding being too conservative moreover to develop and explore new original concepts but always with an eye on feasibility. Proportion and balance, together with 3D surfaces, are what define the exterior — the treatment of these surfaces and the detailed design of them is the difference between a yacht that is ‘’ and one that is designed.
Working with suppliers around the world, Gresham Yacht Design understands the construction of a yacht and works with yards and naval architects to deliver the design.
“ is a privilege to have a job that I enjoy. I have fun doing my work and it’ a pleasure and an adventure every day when I pick up my pencil. I look forward to pushing the boundaries of yacht design and creating more original designs in the future.”
— Gresham
List of core services:
• Concept design
• Layout planning
• Exterior design and styling
• Design project management
Personality
Q: How did you become a superyacht designer and what or who inspired you into the industry?
I was always on the water as a youngster having been born and raised in the Bahamas, and while at university studying car design I bought a copy of Boat International. Leafing through the pages I thought it was something that I could do, and from that point on superyachts were very much on the radar. After university, working with Don Shead was inspirational (the designer behind Sunseeker and iconic superyachts such as Chamar and Sussurro) and working with naval architects I learned how to engineer and build a boat. This foundation has stood me in good stead
to understand the complexities of a modern yacht.
Q: Of the projects you’ worked on, which was your most challenging and why?
Maryah, the 125m yacht built in Greece. I designed the layout and exterior for H2 Yacht Design. The yacht is large and built to full SOLAS regulations, and I was dedicated to getting the design right within the regulations. Positioning the lifeboats behind large superstructure doors was a success — a check of the rules confirmed it was possible. The enclosed forward mooring room hidden out of view and a fully certified CAP 437 helideck were all design challenges that necessitated clever solutions. As a designer it’ about solutions when regulations are tough you have to find clever and innovative answers.
Q: How do you go about understanding a client and their wishes for a project?
Sometimes a client won’ know exactly what they want and it’ our job to show them options in the form of sketches and visuals. Clients know what they don’ want when they see it on paper and using this method we can relatively quickly narrow down the parameters. Obviously if the client has a current yacht it helps and this would give a pointer to their style and preferences. Simply talking about the project with a client (time permitting) is the best way to glean an understanding of the their wishes.
