My inspiration

Chris Darley

VanitasVanitas is art work that includes symbolism designed to remind people of their mortality. The most commonly used symbols are skulls, crows and daggers.

Phrases such as “Memento Mori” are also often used with in work, it is a ancient Roman phrase which translates to “remember that you have to die”. While phrases and symbols like these maybe seen as morbid, I believe that they are a strong reminder that we do inevitably die so we need to make the best of what we have right now.

This not only inspires my work but it is also something I use in my approach to life.

Companies that inspire meI take a lot of inspiration for my work from companies such as P & Co. , Skull And Bones Boys Club and Fast plant. Their stories give me the drive to peruse a career in branding and inspire me to take risks.

Their work is also a constant source of inspiration, helping me to realise points of improvements within my own work and giving me ideas for new techniques and styles that I could experiment with to better myself as a designer.

Skull And Bones Boys ClubSkull And Bones Boys Club are a small two man clothing company based in Sheffield. The company was started when the two uni students wanted to save up and buy a PS3. One of them, a graphics design student knew about screen printing. He designed and printed the initial t-shirts using £40 they had saved up. The other of the two was then in charge of distributing the goods. They then reinvested the profits and its just good up from there, one in charge of design and printing and the other in charge of finance and distribution.

P & Co.P&Co is a lifestyle-based menswear fashion brand moulded by its founders Clark & Timms. Having like-minded outlooks and interests both in fashion and design the two set about approaching men’s fashion by crafting a unique, unpretentious expression based on their self-imposed three-word mantra; ‘life, style and elegance’. Their collective perspective and eye for seeing ‘beyond the obvious’ has allowed their design, form and enviable social media profile to become an understated yet influential, industry bench-mark. The resulting groundswell is that Clark & Timms is now by consequence emerging as an alternative, exciting menswear brand with ingrained, self-determination.

Fast PlantA small Sheffield based clothing company, started by two Sheffield Halam students, creating clothing based around their love of skateboarding and graphic design.

A company built on the foundations of an old one, the brand is just starting out but shows promise, already producing some really good designs.