Richard Sarson info@richardsarson.com 1 2 3 4 5 / Profile

Art & Design Full update due October 1st 2008 Richard Sarson is a freelance graphic artist based in London. Education 2004-2006 Royal College of Art MA Communication Art and Design 2001-2004 University College Falmouth BA(Hons), 1st Class Graphic Design Press 2008 IdN, May, Hong Kong Elle Decor, May, Italy 2007 Grafik feature, December, UK IDPure, one of 20 artists of 2007, Switzerland Grafik talent feature, May, UK Novum pattern feature, February, Germany 2006 Seed magazine, Year in Ideas, December, US Design Week, July, UK Books 2007 Grids, Creative Solutions for Graphic Designers Larraine Roberts, Rotovision, November, UK Onehundred at 360 Degrees: Graphic Design's New Global Generation Laurence King, October, UK Cutting Edge Patterns and Textures, Maomao, September, Spain Awards Augustus Martin Award for Print (RCA Summer Show) Exhibitions 2007 We like it a lot Group show, Nettie Horn Gallery, Vyner Street 2005-2007 RCA Secret Anonymous postcard exhibition 2006 RCA Summer Show Exhibition

Grafik Interview Questions by Laura Clayton What have you been up to since you graduated? A mixture of freelance projects for small clients, friends, and when get the time, myself. How did you first become interested in design? I only really began to understand the subject half-way through my BA at University College Falmouth by pretty much living in the library. Two texts which strike me as important to contributing to my learning were Walter Benjamin's 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction' and Roland Barthes' 'Mythologies'. What inspires you? Things I really love and hate with a passion. Usually because there is something which moves me emotionally about them. The difficult bit is to find out what that something is. In terms of individuals, the work of Marcel Duchamp really affected the way I look at the act of creativity and the idea that everything can be questioned, also Jan Tschichold's attitude to layout. A lot of your work seems to be concerned with maths and science, is this something you explored for this first time at the RCA? How did you come to take this route? These areas interest me because whilst they are considered to constitute the truth in our everyday usage of them, they are also human inventions which have no more basis for truth than any form of religion. In mathematics and science you can eventually reach a point at which they make no sense anymore, Infinity for example, is a measurement which commonly is treated as a number yet it cannot be defined or calculated. I am fascinated by the quest for perfection and the inevitability that it is unreachable. Tell me about your circles, how do you go about planning the drawings and how long do they take to complete? what tools do you use and how do you prevent smudges? The drawings began as sketches dividing up the golden section which progressed into playing with simple shapes inside that proportion, always working towards balance. over time they have become more complex due to the increasing amount of circles used. I like the fact that people are attracted by their aesthetic quality and afterwards they appreciate the structure behind that. I am never sure what each piece will look like until it is finished, so they are a combination of calculation and freeform play. How did you get involved with Seed Magazine? They contacted me out of the blue to use my work in the context of a theory concerning the big-bang by Stephen Hawkings and Thomas Hertog. It took me about 5 seconds to say yes. What has been the greatest achievement/proudest moment in your career so far? I don't tend to be self-congratulatory, I like to look forward to the next project so I'm not sure I have one, if I do it has yet to happen. What inspired the typographic approach you took to the design of the MA fashion catalogue, and how was it received? The concept originally was to have a fashion catalogue with no pictures. Much of the focus of the fashion world revolves around the image and what came across to me when talking to the students was the depth and adaptability of idea which supported their final outcome. The type layout was a collaboration with each of the 32 students, starting with a blank slate. I was amazed how much they got involved. Any favourite projects/clients? My favourite client is a difficult client. I am learning that the final piece always benefits from lots of heated disagreements which are somehow overcome. I love the simplicity of your sound lecture posters - they somehow seem old and solid in a 50s textbook kind of way. Is this something you'd agree with and what led you to this? A lot of people have commented on the fact they look born from that era - I think this arises from the the reference points that led to their development being of that time, particularly the work of Josef Müller-Brockmann whose systematic, rhythmical approach I absolutely love. They are a kind of forerunner to the circle project as they gave me a basic reason to explore the idea of composition. How would you describe your graphic design approach? Function. Every decision which contributes to the design of something has to have a reason for existing and a relationship to the decisions which follow. What materials/processes do you use (or are there any techniques you particularly enjoy or which are innovative?) I enjoy breaking away from the computer and creating things by hand, I have learned the longer it takes produce something the more permanence it tends to have. You get to an entirely different place when it is not possible to erase your last mark. Future plans, upcoming projects, aspirations? I am constantly trying to find a way to work on projects that I believe in 100%, can be proud of, and allow me to survive financially. Also I would love to have an exhibition of the Circle Project at some point in the near future.