My Design Moment: Ben O'Brien
How 'JAM: Tokyo-London' showed Ben the Illustrator the potential of collaboration and crossovers
With issue 200, we bring you our ‘Best 200 Design Moments Ever’ and as part of our celebrations, we’re asking friends of and contributors to the magazine to share their ‘design moment’ – something that inspired them or influenced them in their creative career. Today: Ben O'Brien, AKA Ben the Illustrator
Back in 2001 there was an exhibition at London's Barbican called 'JAM: Tokyo-London'. Having graduated two years before, I was still very much finding my way in the creative industry, but this exhibition set me on the right path. It featured a mix of British and Japanese artists and designers including Airside, A Bathing Ape, Cornelius, Groovisions, James Jarvis, Yoshitomo Nara and Bump (who produced the Shoreditch Twat).
I visited the exhibition three times and every time I became more and more amazed how much an individual or studio could crossover from one media to another, and not all for the sake of 'art' but also for commercial work. I discovered that an illustrator could successfully work in fashion, a musician could work in film and a design studio team could do whatever the hell they wanted. I found this exciting to the nth degree. I know this was nothing new; creatives have always crossed over from one field to another, but this was right there, right then. People were achieving global success through collaboration and venturing into any field they fancied; people were making exciting things in every media.
Up to this point I was an art-lover who wanted to work in commercial design; I hadn't yet seen the light where the two could blend as one. I was keen to build a career, to find commercial success, and to keep things exciting, and the creatives involved in the JAM exhibition were leading the way for me to follow and find my own career path.
Get top Black Friday deals sent straight to your inbox: Sign up now!
We curate the best offers on creative kit and give our expert recommendations to save you time this Black Friday. Upgrade your setup for less with Creative Bloq.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.
Related articles
- First Impressions: freelance illustrator Marie-Alice Harel loves "the freedom" her work offers
- New York was recreated on a virtual set for the Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn movie Daddio, and nobody knew
- 2D art of the week: Deborah Saez
- Creating the subtle VFX behind Here, the new movie from Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks