Two of us

Tell us a bit about yourself and the studio that you work for.

I’m a Brighton-based graphic designer and partner of Two of Us. Two of Us is an independent design practice formed with my good friend Ash O’Brien. We work in separate cities (Ash is based in Birmingham). Our work is predominantly branding, identity and graphic design, and our clients cover a diverse range of sectors; from tech start-ups to a 100-year-old charity. www.twoofus.co

My design background is varied in terms of discipline, working environment and output, but looking back through old work I can certainly see a thread of values that I have always applied to my work, if not necessarily a fixed ‘style’.

What are some of your earliest creative memories and what led you into design?

I don’t remember the exact moment I thought about pursuing a creative education or career, I feel perhaps it has always been my only option. I was obsessed with my parents’ record collection (before I could make my own music choices), and I would attempt to recreate the covers with whatever was around the house. I think a lot of my books also had alternative covers that I had drawn or painted myself. That early interest coupled with encouragement from early art teachers set me on a path. I wasn’t academic in the slightest, but once I had found something I loved (and that I was good at) I immersed myself in it.

Tell us about any collaborations you have been working on.

Two of Us is in essence a collaboration between Ash and myself. The studio was born out of a couple of early projects we worked on together, which laid the foundations of an ongoing working relationship that has grown ever since. We set out to keep Two of Us small and versatile, so we rely on fruitful collaborations with others in specialist disciplines that can benefit certain projects.

We recently collaborated with our friends Multiple States on a self-initiated microsite project that merges each of our studio’s visual identity rules; the flexible polygon used by Multiple States and the complimentary two-colour combination characteristic of Two of Us. The result is a literal collaboration between the studios that invites others to become part of that collaboration by creating new shapes and colour combinations.

Any passion projects you would like to share?

I view personal projects as a way to unwind from client work, but also to develop in areas I don’t necessarily deal with day-to-day. I have produced some self-published photography journals born from recent trips. Self employment (or any employment) can be full on, so it’s nice to switch off emails and create something for yourself without pressure, constraints or deadlines. ‘PLY BCN’ is a collection of empty inner city sports pitches in Barcelona, and ’NICE, NICE’ juxtaposes a range of shots from Nice, France, focussing on the bold summer colours, shadows and patterns. There are a couple more personal projects in the pipeline which I hope to bring to fruition when I get the opportunity.