This week’s #ThrowBrandThursday presents the career path of graphic designer Will Berry. Although young, the artist was motivated to put the Generic Greeting Collective platform’s base in order to help other creative minds who do not have opportunities to express their constructive ideas.
Born, raised, and educated in Hereford, UK, Will Berry completed a National Diploma in art and design at Hereford Art College in 2008. One year later, he moved to Manchester, where he continued studying graphic design at Salford University.
The small town where he grew up lies on the border between Wales and England and has a population of 60,000 residents. Although it’s a small place, Berry believes this is the town that inspired him to do spectacular things.
After graduating university, the independent illustrator started a new project with three ex-colleagues of him: George Haydock, Liam Healy, and Rich James, and in October 2010 they founded Generic Greeting Collective platform, in Manchester.
Although initially, this project had the aim to support the unique artwork of the founding members by combining illustrations, music, and films, in the last seven years the Collective project managed to gather around 25 creative minds, which are working in different creative spheres.
Collaboration is the key to reach a larger public and to obtain a varied and interesting result for the audience, the platform consists of designers, illustrators, photographers, filmmakers, producers, DJs, and VJs from all over the UK. The project provides an exquisite aesthetics sense, and even though each of the members has their own work style, the results fit perfectly within the project. Being a united group, they are willing to collaborate with other organizations, charities, individuals, or companies.
The creative minds of Collective succeeded to win a series of awards thanks to short films and music videos. Among other things, they appeared at festivals, ran different workshops, and had solo work presented all over Manchester. Berry says that collectivism is an important step for Generic Greeting Collective, as this allows the founders to work with people with distinct perceptions of the world and different ideas.
The Manchester-based design artist developed the platform’s logo, which represents an illustration of the famous French philosopher and 1964 Literature Nobel Prize winner, Jean-Paul Sartre. Berry revealed he has a passion and is inspired by the beliefs of the French philosopher couple Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
As from a cultural influence point of view, the graphic designer says that skateboarding played a major role in his artistic development. Besides this, the artist tends to illustrate urban environments, where he uses the hand-drawn and digital illustration technique. He draws inspiration from two main subjects: urban street scenes and city architecture. Berry examines the aspects that form the general surface of the urban landscapes — like the buildings’ angles — finally succeeding to offer its viewers unique urban illustrations, which dazzle their eyes.
Berry shares his studio — which is also his apartment — with his cat, Sade, and says that no week passes without an interesting exhibition in Manchester. The idea of cooperation and collectivism is something extremely important for Berry’s artistic life. Along with other people with inventive spirits, the graphic designer believes he can build new custom communities that can inspire people.
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