Pete graduated in 2002 from BA (Hons) Visual Communication. Pete is a Hull born and now Berlin-based graphic designer.
Pete's work has taken him from Leeds Arts University to London, Cape Town and back again, and he now lives and works from Kreuzberg. He has worked for clients such as Nokia, Orange, Cadburys, Budweiser and Skoda. He has worked for Sleazenation, AMV BBDO, Ami Collective and Fallon London, where he worked his way up to become Head of Design.
Over the years Pete has also runs a series of personal projects including:
A Family Affair - What started as three friends cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats soon become a fundraising model. The idea was simple; ask friends to donate their time rather than money to help raise even more money for a charity of choice.
Over 50 talented individuals donated their skills to produce an artwork on the theme of ‘Bikes & Family’ to support their cycle from Land’s End to John O’ Groats and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Each piece of artwork was reproduced as a limited-edition A2 print and sold for £75 each at an exhibition held at Fallon, London. After the success of the project in raising over £10,000, A Family Affair is now looking to raise funds for Sane, who work to improve quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness.
DOG-EAR - He also runs DOG-EAR, a free bookmark magazine available from independent bookshops and libraries. What started as an English only publication has now gone international. In different languages the ear remains but the animal changes. The German (ESEL OHR) and Danish (ÆSEL ØRE) editions of the magazine have now also been launched.
Pete currently runs Mr Pete Lewis Studios from Berlin, where you can read more about his projects: www.mrpetelewis.com
We interviewed Pete to find out more...
What did you enjoy about your time at Leeds Arts University?
It was great to have so many choices of what medium you could answer a brief in. The idea and questioning the brief was always the most important part of the project. How best can you solve a particular problem. It was then up to you how best you best execute the idea. I was always drawn to graphic design and wanted to specialise in something to help me make a living in the future. But the course helped to keep my mind open to lots of other possibilities and not get pigeon holed.
How would you describe your work?
Pop. I like to produce work for everyone. If I show my work to my Mum and she likes it, without saying 'that's unusual' then you know you are on the right track. I like work that people understand without a written thesis to back it up. I'm not about producing design for designers.
What are you currently working on?
I'm busy launching an online sex toy shop in the UK. The brand is all about sexual honesty and breaking down the taboos of using sex toys and being open about your desires. They have made me the Creative Director of the brand. I've worked on everything from the logo, brand toolkit, website design and now to the promotion of the site.
Any future ambitions or projects in the pipeline?
I’m starting a project called Visual Verse: An Anthology of Art and Words. It's an online and print flash fiction project. One image, one hour, 50-500 words. The picture is the starting point, the text is up to you.
The project Goodness Greatness is having a massive face lift too. All the old articles are been made into a pdf magazine. All the new interviews will be films recorded on Skype. It's going to be more about the conversation and the life of the person rather than their work.
My biggest plan for the future is to travel and work at the same time. I have managed to set up my company so that after I receive a brief I can work from anywhere as long as I have my trusty laptop and the world wide web at my fingertips.
