Do you remember your first sip of beer?
No! I don’t actually, I was never much of a drinker when I was younger, I just wasn’t that interested, even though everyone around me was, I kind of slipped into it more when I was at University..as you do.
Do you work differently when designing for screen printing?
No, I generally work in the same way with layers in mind. I actually learnt to use colour effectively through the process of screen printing, before that i was a primarily black and white artist, so using screen printing i taught myself how to put colour together and use minimal palettes effectively. So even if i work digitally that’s still the most natural way for me to create an image.
Are their any beer labels out there, which you particularly like?
Honest answer here, I can’t say I have ever thought about it. I GUESS I should say the one that Drew Millward designed, that’s probably the best one.
What was your initial thought processes behind your fictional beer label, did you have something already visually in mind or did the concept come first?
I kind of let this one flow from me naturally, i came up with the name first and then created an image around it. Clearly the best way to create an image!
If you could drink one beer for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’m not a huge drinker, I don’t have the required palette to choose one for the rest of my life really, that’s a big ask… I like Staropramen, I’ll go with that. I’d probably just stop drinking altogether if I couldn’t switch it up a bit though.
Beer labels have a rich visual history, why do you think art and beer have coexisted for so long?
Actually I think the art side of things for me more comes in the form of advertising, from the crazy Guinness adverts to the ridiculous ways it can be advertised in magazines to make people think they will look cool. I think the way artistic visions come from that is amazing, and somewhat overblown, and when its all essentially just to sell more beer, well..it upsets me that so much money gets spent on something you don’t really need to sell to people. I actually think beer and all alcohol should be treated like cigarettes and any other drug and advertising it should be banned. That’s my serious answer, it doesn’t need to be advertised. Also, artists probably get a bit more creative after a beer or two, so you know..it goes hand in hand.
