(5) You’ve recently turned your hand to TV and film. How have you found the transtion? Do you find it a more anonymous trade?
It’s been a five year long struggle – from my first break with Smack The Pony and later Derren Brown and Monkey Magic – its obviously about getting connected with the right people. Just through people I know it started slowly but now I spend more and more time in the TV and film world. It’s very exciting for me now to work in this medium fusing moving graphics with sound, it seemed a logical progression. But it took me a decade to accept that – I almost had to get the print work out of my system before I felt that I had enough clout to tackle new industries. At the moment I feel happy doing a very mixed bag of work from sleeves to magazines, logos and fonts to motion graphics and now skateboard graphics and bits of art. I feel happy that I’ve managed to fit so much in so far, when most designers never realise their full potential.
(6) We always seem to travel to do our best shows. Why do you think the UK seems to show less
interest in new design and art than anywhere else in the world? Has banal Brit Art put everyone off? Or is it an education issue?
I’ve done a few shows and it’s something I’d like to do more of. Again I come across that same old attitude that because I’ve made a name for myself doing graphics people think that’s all I do. And I constantly remind myself that before graphics I was actually more interested in being a fine artist. I studied art and design for 5 years before persuing a career in graphics and only really chose that route because I knew I could make money quicker. The art world is a funny one, it’s about hype – playing the game – convincing people your particular brand of creating is original or new. To me it’s all bollocks really – the new socalled Brit Art is incredibly bland and I can’t believe half of these people (naming no names) are actually making a living out of it!
There has to be more room for the graphic arts in this country, yet abroad, particulary the States,there seems to be more openness towards more graphical works being accepted in the gallery setting. But I don’t see the same attitude here, which makes the whole thing feel a bit closed shoppish. I actually think Britishcreativity is the best in the world – we couldwipe the floor clean with our integrity, honesty and darn right coolness! That’s whyour talents should be shown off more andgiven the space to breath in an internationalarena that somehow doesn’t seem to happen! Certainly I am on a bit of a mission to educatepeople that designers have a different talentthat is worth persuing and there’s more to itthan our last record sleeve!Watch out world! I aint finished yet! – Swifty