Designers at Tate

Q1. When did you know you wanted to be a designer?

From an early age I knew I wanted to do something creative, at school I loved art and then after school I went on to do a foundation course. My degree was in Graphics/illustration.

Q2. What piece of art most inspires you?

I've just been to Budapest and there is an artist there who makes massive sculptures out of pieces of kindling. I love the scale of them, they are huge.

Q3. Which artist or designer do you most admire?

I love David Hockney, he can really draw.

Q4. What is your favorite memory of Tate?

When I was at school we used to come up to the Tate Britain by coach which I loved, but I have to say my best memory was going down a slide in the Turbine Hall a couple of years ago.

Q5. What is the best exhibition you have ever seen?

I went to see Miro 5 times, I loved it.

Q6. What is your favorite piece in your range?

I love the new pencil glass that we have just produced, it has a retro feel about it and looks nice and chunky.

Q7. What is your favorite item in Tate online shop?

I love the new Sarah Fanelli range, I'm going to buy some of the notebooks for presents.

Q8. Do you have an audience in mind when you are designing?

We've always designed for a wide range of people, I like the idea that a Rude product can be bought by school kids through to senior citizens!

Q9. If you could have been part of any art movement, which would you choose?

I think the Fauvists as they were all about colour, which my work is often about.

Q10. How would you describe your signature design style in one sentence?

Graphic, with a hand drawn element often using a visual twist.

Q11. What is your most treasured possession?

I think old photographs, I try every Christmas to give my girlfriend an album of the best photo's of the year. I think these days it's too easy to leave them on the computer and not print them out.

Q12. Where do you create your designs?

In my studio, it's called the Chocolate Factory and it's in Stoke Newington. The studios are bright and modern and there are some great people around.

Q13. Where are you most inspired?

London

Q14. What do you do when you’re not designing beautiful artworks or products for Tate?

I work on a range of projects through my agent Blunt and I'm often working on screen prints for exhibitions. I have just come back from Budapest where I had a show at a gallery called Printa.

Q15. What is your favorite quotation/saying?

'It's All About The Good Times'.

Q16. What was the first thing you ever designed or made?

When Rude was first started we did a range of printed ties!

Q17. What processes do you go through to achieve your designs?

I have to start with a clear head and a blank page. I often go though all my scrap books and photos that I have taken.

Q18. Who has had an important influence on you?

I remember having an amazing tutor at art college who taught me that you can still paint, draw and print work within the boundaries of commercial art, to get a good mix and make a living out of being creative.

Q19. How do you love to spend a Sunday?

I'm a keen runner so I love to go for a run. Then we would take the boys out for the day, and maybe have a pint on the way home (if the kids allow it!).

Q20. What was the last book your read and why?

'Signs of Life' by Natalie Taylor - because I designed the cover.