Anthony from TONE RSD interview

Hey Anthony,
thank you so much this is brilliant! Just when you get some spare time really-really appreciate you helping. Obsessed with retro/pin up girl artwork so big ups on that!
What attracted me to your work was you're pin up retro inspired artwork, which gives such a distinctive look for TONE. What inspired your love for that brilliant style and when did you feel like you'd got it down to a t?

For me, it all comes from the past... I aren't a lover of this generation, the music, the art, the social media, the reality TV shows, everything is mass produced and has no relevance or meaning to me whatsoever, so when I create my work it is based on the past and experiences and how things used to be, maybe not for the better but when things had a meaning in life instead of being fixated on this Justin Bieber life everyone is living at the moment. Certain bands inspired me with their outlook and album art, music i grew up with in the 90s, and artists from the states such as Steve Powers, Mike Giant, Daniel Clowes and Faile and then the British scene, such as D*Face, early Banksy, Eine and A CE London. My work is mainly based on emotion between the sexes with a sometimes political twist but the fact I use alot of heartbreak in my work comes from experience and how many people feel in the world on a daily basis which has a connection. I don't feel i'll ever have it down to a T, always areas to improve and over the years you can see how it's all progressed. Nothing is 'perfect'... We were born to be real, not perfect, just enjoy it really.

I'm always inspired by event flyers and posters which I've started to hoard, do you collect any artworks like these?

I don't collect per se, but I do have a love and admiration for old 70s/80s Black Flag Gig posters, Sonic Youth and Americana, aswell as vintage film posters. I have a vast collection of books and media for inspiration when it comes to designing a new piece. 

What set up do you prefer to be in when working on your design work, and if you listen to any music what music do you like to work to usually?

A new piece always starts with sketching out where i'm wanting to take a new piece, how it will sit on the page and what message/typography will go on there, usually starts very rough and basically shapes until I can figure out what sort of style will accompany the piece and the target audience. Music plays a very big part of my life and I always listen to music while designing, always have from the very beginning and much of my work is inspired by lyrics and feelings at the time when designing a new piece.

It looks like you've had a very good career so far and since you created Tone in 2010, what is the best advice someone has given you? 

Thanks... in a way I wouldn't class it as a 'career' I mainly base all my work and create for the fun of it and it is great when people want to have my work in their homes or businesses and it all starts to become real knowing that people can connect to my work. Having not done the whole student/uni scene I have basically created all my work off my own back in my spare time and hustled my way around a lot of things. I take my own advice and create what I want to create as there are always openings to what you want to achieve and where you want to take your work no matter what you decide, as long as you are consistent and work hard, so many people say they are artists or designers and literally create something and do nothing with it or just go back to their monotonous lives sitting watching Coronation Street on the sofa while playing on social media pretending they are creatives because 'filters' make their work look professional.

What lead you to becoming a street artist specifically?

My love of music and the need to do something with my life creatively lead me to become an artist, often if I haven't created anything for a few days I will start to feel tetchy and beat myself up feeling as though i've disappeared and I have nothing new to show, I need to keep active rather than getting sucked into the regulation 9-5 life and doing nothing on a night time. I see other artists etc in NYC, London, Tokyo and I feel inspired to crack on and aim to get new exhibits and ideas created.

I am currently doing a graphic design degree and I don't really know which direction I am going in and worry about this sometimes. Ive read you always wanted to be doing this, congrats on making it! But were there any obstacles you had to overcome?

I never got a degree or went to university... I did however try out graphic design at college and that wasn't for me. Luckily though, while working an office job (which I had for 10 years) I carried on creating in my spare time at home for fun and did work for free for magazines and friends and never thought it would amount to anything, since moving to Leeds though out of nowhere by showcasing my street art on the streets it landed me a job as a designer which i've had for 3 years now, still while carrying on with my own work in my spare time. The only obstacles I/anyone face is yourself... quite easily you can just not do anything, get bored of it all thinking there's no point, but if you get over that do what you want, something will always come of it if you have raw talent and powerful ideas.

What do you feel your biggest accomplishment is so far? You look like you have really had a great defining moment starting your own brand and it is so unique, spotted it straight away in Leeds town centre!

So far... i'd say was exhibiting with Ben Eine at Lights of Soho showcasing my neon work, which was a new path I had taken to bring my work to life rather than just concentrating on flat print design, so to go through the manual labour of the pieces from start to finish and then get them to London to exhibit with one of my favourite artists was great.

Any plans for the future, like any projects or anything else you want to learn?

Currently i'm awaiting to see if I have been accepted to get a grant to create a new collection of neon, after using my own money last time as a tester for something new I have decided to take it to the next level and create a collection of 10 and aim to take them worldwide. I also will be in New York in March putting up work in Brooklyn to get a cultural flavour to my work instead of basing it around Leeds and London. There are many things i'd like to learn, but as usual for me these things come when needed and if i need them i'll have to learn so who knows what could come my way.

What would you say is the best way to get your design work out to clients? Do you network a lot?

Nah, I don't network at all, my worst nightmare is schmoozing about in a busy creative space, fake smiling and begging people to look at my instagram... I like to do the subtle technique and stick stickers everywhere and get paste ups up around the world and I enjoy uploading new pieces online to generate funds for future projects hopefully. I try to keep away from the 'scene' so to speak as it's not my scene, I work to keep myself occupied, if I get to showcase it in galleries it's great and an experience, but I aren't too fussed in having to spend a night chatting shit with pretend artists haha

Which kinds of clients have you enjoyed working with the most??

At my day job as a designer we work with many clients... but for my own personal work I don't tend to work massively with clients, my work is for me and then for galleries to pick up or to have some sort of message i'd like to get across to the public, when it comes to working with a brief at home it can be hard to have free reign to show full creativity with how I work. I did enjoy working with The Pigeon Detectives on their latest album release because I could design what I wanted and all their tour posters.

One last one because you were in This Is England 88' one of the best shows ever made, funniest stories from that?

Haha, oh yeah.... well that was a great experience. I had two days of filming in Sheffield as an extra with a few parts to play, on the first night I couldn't get back home and be back for 6am so they had to put me up in the costume caravan for the night, with no heating, no shower, no toilet and I was awake all night freezing wearing 4 layers of clothes from the costume department and then at 6am I got a knock on the door from costume department to turf me out while I was wearing 2 pairs of cords, 3 pringle golf sweaters a sheepskin jacket and a frilly pink 80s scarf! Also meeting all the cast and chatting with them was class, and to this day i'm good mates with Andy Ellis (Gadget) and have been in a film with him and a music video directed by Idris Elba.






For my response, using my Neon film photography as the front poster represents Anthony's admiration for past generations of design, in which I also share from my passion for film photography. Using a photograph from my neon photography showcases an aspect of my work which represents my interest in his work- we both enjoy past styles and style contexts as well as neon lighting, which Anthony is currently fundraising to showcase his art with neon signage which I donated to. The work is amazing and brought back the proud feeling I got when I got my photos developed for the first studio brief of the year. Creating a poster also relates to his street art method of pasting print rolls on to walls, in which this becomes a convert that can be used to read the interview whilst showing work that relates to his altogether representing a part of my design interests. Each interview will represent an aspect of my design work relating to the 3 artists I have interviewed forming a trio which will be sent as a thank you, to put up in their offices I hope!

Interviewing Anthony humbled me and reminded me that you have to stay true to yourself and that in order to create amazing work and be successful, you don't need to do what everyone else is doing and fight for yourself. He stresses not everything is perfect which is refreshing to hear as a student who isn't certain of themself and with my first submission I felt I had let myself down, but creating this gave those photographs I was so proud of another purpose! Like he says, as long as ideas are raw and powerful they will go somewhere which is also why working for a cause or style you are passionate about will create your best work perhaps, which I aim to continue as I progress in to third year which I feel I am naturally doing in realising my style and strengths. The fact he has worked with a lot of musicians and music is so intertwined with his work is relatable and inspiring to me as someone who would have so much fun working with musicians, combining and interpreting music to design.

I interviewed Anthony as I had seen his street art last year not knowing who it was which was always intriguing, and his work was so unique compared to other work on the streets and interviewing an artist a little different to a graphic designer is something I would always do, to gather different opinions and perspectives as variety is important to celebrate in the creative industries (also important in the collective we are forming for studio brief 3)