2006
Location: London, UK Member since April 2003
I’m inspired by pop-culture nerdery. I care about the why of design a great deal more than the how. Stylistically my influences are Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Otl Aicher, government signage, Charlie Harper, and Optimus Prime. Fame is my motivation (it’s not going well). But really, I like to come up with ideas that make people laugh—to make them look at familiar objects in a different light. I’m always worried that my most recent good idea might be my last, so a lot of my motivation comes from trying to prove to myself that I can be consistent. Money is nice to have but creatively speaking I don’t think anything good comes from chasing it. Do good work first and the money will come later. Laziness is my technique. I try to spend more time thinking about each design than I do making it. As for the nitty-gritty, I mostly go straight into Illustrator. Pen rarely touches paper nowadays. I wish I were better at photography. I’ve tried but I have no talent for it. I’d like to learn motion. It’s a challenge for me, and a totally new way of thinking about design—but it will be worth it in the long run. Regrets? None! Though I didn’t go to art school and in some ways I wish I had. I’d probably be a lot better at typography, construction, and composition. On the other hand, I might not think about design in the same way that I do now. I love Threadless. The feedback I got there taught me so much about design. It built my confidence, it paid my way through an English degree.
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