Record covers. I was really into music when I was young. It was a form of rebellion and also a way to relate to the world. Record covers enhance your enjoyment of music, the graphics make the whole experience more meaningful in some way. Also, when I was younger, I was always upset about American influence on the creative world. I wanted to look at my own culture, whether it be art, music or typography.

Jonathan Barnbrook

I went to art school but it was more the spirit of the time that influenced me. However, I am very much a designer that is a product of the London schools (St. Martins, RCA) that I went to. I don't think that is a bad thing. I think all design schools should have a strong philosophy even if the students choose to reject it in the end.

Jonathan Barnbrook

I’ve been designing since the age of thirteen, ever since I won a design competition for the cover of the school magazine. My art teacher really made me a graphic designer. It was an influential win. The prize was a 50p book token. I didn't really know what ‘design’ was but it was something I really enjoyed. It wasn't until I was about 20 I realised that the critical context of graphic design isn’t as simple as ‘get a commission, do the job for the client as best you can’. It's a whole lot more complex than that. It was actually difficult to survive after I left college. But it’s important not to get deflected from what you really want to achieve.

Jonathan Barnbrook

Design shapes the environment. It helps us interact with and perceive the world. In fact, graphic design has always been a method of social change. Throughout history, leaders have facilitated social change through the distribution of printed word. It really is that simple.

Jonathan Barnbrook

There is not necessarily a divide. Both feed off the other, both are creative areas that influence each other. However, it is important to spend time doing non-commercial work. It is good for the creativity of the company. And it works the other way round too. Commercial work can inform non-commercial projects. Our stance has affected the commercial work we take on. We can’t be hypocrites, shout about something and do the opposite.

Jonathan Barnbrook

To like them is quite important and feel happy to be working with them. The client should respect graphic design and not see it simply as a service. It has cultural validity too.

Jonathan Barnbrook

It was very good, I think he was one of the few artists I have worked with who respected the role of the designer in the process, so he allowed me to be creative, put my mark on the book. It enhanced the expression of the work. Most artists are control freaks who think they know best, which is good in some instances, but with many projects you need to get the best people to do what they are good at, and in this case I think he understood that.

Jonathan Barnbrook

In this age of big record companies the marketing department has too much say. They do research before commissioning a design which often completely defines the solution they want, so it has become a very predictable area. Often the designer doesn’t even work directly with the band. With David Bowie though, it was just him so we had a close relationship. To get a decent design I think you have to work with a band that is so small that they are prepared to take chances or so big that they can tell the record companies exactly what they want.

Jonathan Barnbrook

The logical answer to that is that there’s no such thing as a favourite font; it depends on the usage. But to answer in a completely non-logical way, it’s Perpetua by Eric Gill, a British stonecarver and font designer. I like that it comes from absolutely his universe. It is of the time, true to its own surroundings and has his tone of voice. All of these things are very important to me when I design fonts.

Jonathan Barnbrook

It arose out of a desire to explain my work properly. To give people a better understanding of what graphic design can do. We are assaulted with images every day and there is a greater need to understand why they are produced, not just accept them. I’ve been working on the book for five years now. The publication was timed to coincide with the opening of my exhibition at the Design Museum.

Jonathan Barnbrook

I run a small studio on purpose. I don’t want to lose the personal contact between people. Everyone here can say what they feel. It is important to be informal and enjoy daily life. In the future I’d like to do more film work. Type and film is a relatively new area to explore. And mostly the projects are self-motivated. I like writing rather than interpreting other people’s words. Exhibitions and graphics for museums are also an area I’d like to be involved in. I’m interested in doing more work in Britain. I’ve done lots of projects abroad, but here they’re a bit reluctant — I’m not sure why. Some British institutions are scared of individual design. The Virus font foundry was set up so that we could make typefaces. It is good for publicity but we don’t worry about the commercial side of things. It has cultural value. It is a bonus if people buy the fonts. And sometimes it is surprising to see how they’re used. It is nice to see the effect of visual language on society.

Jonathan Barnbrook

Hopefully it motivated other designers and students to do non-commercial work and to show they can survive not sacrificing their principles. I want to convey that graphic design has something to say and is culturally a valid form of expression.

Jonathan Barnbrook