Ben OBrien

Current

• Illustrator/Designer at Ben the Illustrator

Past

• Creative Director at Pocket Laboratories

Education

• Surrey Institute Of Art and Design
• University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester
• Central St Martins College

Recommended

1 person has recommended Ben

Connections

98 connections

Industry

Design

Websites

• Ben the Illustrator
• Speakerdog!
• 'Wish You Were Here' homewares

Ben OBrien’s Summary

Working successfully for a decade since graduation, I have had the pleasure of working on anything from designing animation for children's BBC programmes to supplying London's ICA with tshirt designs, from directing and illustrating an alternative ad campaign for Smart Cars to exhibiting paper toys from the UK to Japan.

"Ben the Illustrator has a unique style, drawing inspiration from peers such as Japan's Takeshi Murakami and late twentieth-century graffiti artists. He combines this with the energy of edgier contemporary music, and we begin to see the emergence of a new urban hybrid style which may define the visual expression of today" taken from 'Beyond Trend' by Matt Mattus published by How Books.

Ben OBrien’s Specialties:

landscape illustration, inspirational environmentalism, understanding design

Ben OBrien’s Experience

• Illustrator/Designer

  Ben the Illustrator

  (Design industry)

  January 2005 — Present (4 years 11 months)

  I'm a commercial illustrator based in Cornwall, UK, with a background including animating and directing music videos for labels including Sony Japan and Domino Records; album sleeve design; vinyl sticker design; editorial illustration for clients including The Guardian and Computer Arts Magazine and advertising campaigns for clients including Smart Cars and Honda.
  
  I work alongside my wife, Fi, who manages our Wish You Were Here brand, producing and selling fine art prints. We are currently developing a range of Wish You Were Here homeware products for release in 2009.
  
  For commissioned work I am represented by Brighton based AgencyRush, contact Helen on helen@agencyrush.com or call 00 44 (0)1273 675122

Additional Information

Ben OBrien’s Websites:

• Ben the Illustrator
• Speakerdog!
• 'Wish You Were Here' homewares

Ben OBrien’s Interests:

illustration, art, design, colour, environment, editorial, advertising, pictures, small pictures, big pictures, land, sea, air, sunshine, walking, trekking, hiking, drawing, reading, listening, characters, smiles, flowers, magazines, books, hope, paint, slogans, branding, pantone, ukuleles, animals, nature, fish, birds, cities, countryside, flying, challenging, discussing, inspiring, motivating, products, fabrics, homewares, interiors, computers, macs, adobes, wacoms, pencils, paper, supporting, blogging, flickering, learning, colouring in, printing, designing, illustrating.