Firework display designer - FT.com Hayley Maddin, Fantastic Fireworks Planning a firework display starts with meeting the client and discussing what they want. That might include colour, scale, effects and noise, what is achievable on the proposed site, how best to use the location, and a risk assessment. Display design used to be done by hand, but now we use computers. It's much easier if the display is set to music, because it helps you plan. For instance, a performance of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" calls for small, quiet fireworks and the 1812 Overture suits big, loud bangs. These days the displays are usually fired from a laptop, which greatly reduces the risks. The odd shell does explode at ground level and if you were next to it, you could be seriously injured, but electronic firing means you keep your distance. We've done pyrotechnics for organisations such as De Beers and the BBC, and some big birthday celebrations. More unusual assignments have included working with an artist where the display was burning lines of poetry. Guy Fawkes Night displays tend to last 20-30 minutes while parties and weddings last five minutes; the cost ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands of pounds. I enjoy coming up with new ideas and concepts each time and because fireworks are usually used for celebrations, you're helping to mark happy, exciting occasions.