Tom Bunney is a designer and illustrator working at London-based creative agency One Big Company. Here he tells us about an inspirational project to improve healthcare for Vietnamese women and children
Computer Arts: Tell us about the project ... Tom Bunney: After successfully rebranding Besra, a Vietnamese gold mining company at One Big Company, we were asked to have a look at helping out on a charity motorbike ride, which some of the members of Besra were taking part in: what later became The Great Honda 67 Ride.
They wanted a nod to old retro motorbike bike designs, and wanted to ensure the designs were lighthearted, bold and eye catching, as well as addressing the serious issue of raising awareness and encouraging people to donate to improve women and children's healthcare in the region, which was what they were raising money for.
CA: How did you put the project together? TB: Luckily, the guy we were dealing with was really laid back and very easy going so the process was an enjoyable one. The main designs were created in Illustrator, the layout stuff in InDesign and the reaper hawk illustration done by pencil on paper and then traced with a Wacom in Photoshop. The only challenge we really faced was converting the Reaper design to something that could be printed as an embroidered back patch. Initially the design was just created to screen print onto T-shirts, but after they saw it we all came to the conclusion creating a motorbike club and having legit patches was something we had to do.
From start to finish I think we probably worked on it all on and off for a couple of months. On seeing the pics we were sent to include in some of the material we felt kind of guilty about charging for the work so decided to donate the rough amount it would have cost to design it to the charity and in return I got to fly out and take part in a section of the ride: definitely one of the most awesome things I have ever done.
CA: How did you get into design? TB: I got into design through the design that surrounded BMX and mountain biking, back in the day. I graduated from a graphic design degree at Falmouth in 2010, which was great but, soon after graduating, I realised illustration was definitely something I enjoyed most. So, while working full-time doing designy stuff at One Big Company, I keep busy with freelance illustration stuff for apparel companies and bands, which is something I hope to be able to do full-time a couple of years down the road.
I do find it hard to describe my style: design-wise I try not to limit myself and answer the brief in the most suitable and appropriate style as I can. I've definitely developed a style I enjoy drawing in: if I had to sum it up I'd say a bold, dark, traditionally inspired style, which I try to inject a lot of movement and atmosphere into ... Christ. It's hard trying to describe yourself, isn't it?! Maybe best to leave the reader to come to their own conclusion on that one.
