andy altmann (why not associates) interview

detail of poster for why not associates exhibition at ginza graphic gallery (full poster below)

why not associates co-founder, andy altmann (AA) tells designboom (DB) about how the studio has evolved since it was formed in 1987 how they managed to leave behind their ‘house style’.

DB: please could you tell us briefly about the evolution of why not associates?AA: why not associates was formed by myself, david ellis and howard greenhalgh after leaving the royal college of art in 1987. it was never really planned it just kind of happened. all we knew was that we didn’t want to work for anyone else. we landed a job designing a magazine together while at college and it just sort of snowballed from there. looking back I guess we were one of the first multi-disciplined design groups as we wanted to work with both print and moving image and then later environmental graphics.

DB: how many people work at WNA and how do you divide / share the workload?AA: today we have nine full time staff and the work is shared between who we think is best at working on certain types of projects and who is available.

C4 turner prize 2011 ad

DB: which have been your most satisfying projects to date?AA: the comedy carpet was possibly the most satisfying as it’s great to watch people wander slowly about the sea of jokes and catchphrases laughing out loud, really engaging with the work and each other.

DB: is there a particular type of project that you enjoy?AA: those where I can learn something new.

DB: do you think it’s important for a graphic designer to be able to draw?AA: it’s nice if you can but it’s not essential. I can’t. I soon learned that at saint martins school of art in the early eighties. I can draw well enough to get an idea across and most of the time that is enough. but if I need to draw something, I know a man who can!

audi compilation

DB: what are your thoughts on specialisation vs generalisation?AA: personally I like working in many mediums. it keeps me thinking. keeps the brain turning over. it’s strange how designing a postage stamp may influence a TV commercial or typography on a piece of public art. I think in some sense we are specialised in typography – it’s just that we work with it in many ways. some people may think ‘jack of all trades’ or ‘master of none’!

DB: are you conscious not to develop a specific house style?AA: in the early days we did have a house style and we were labeled as the ‘wild boys of typography’! but as we have grown so have our solutions to problems and we have changed up to the point I don’t think we have a house style at all and I really like that.

DB: what is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?AA: never eat yellow snow.seriously – ‘never let the studio get too big’. that was given to me by gert dunbar.

DB: what is the worst piece of advice you have ever been given?AA: eat yellow snow.a typesetter once told me in the late eighties – ‘you don’t want to buy one of those new apple macintosh computers…there’s no future in those.’

comedy carpet (in collaboration with gordon young)

comedy carpet (in collaboration gordon young)

letter shaped sculptures created for the national waterfront museum in swansea (in collaboration with gordon young)

letter shaped sculptures created for the national waterfront museum in swansea (in collaboration with gordon young)

billboard poster for tate britain

exhibition poster for tate modern

book cover for photographer juilan germain

typography now book cover

spread from typography now

spread from typography now

left: sensation exhibition posterright: smirnoff advertisement

next directory (clothes catalog) cover

next directory (clothes catalog) cover

left: poster for WNA exhibition at ginza graphic galleryright: book cover for WNA monograph published by booth clibborn

right: WNA decade poster ‘1’right: WNA decade poster ‘0’

why not associates team portraittop row (left to right) : joseph lion, andy altmann, gustavo fernandes (blue shirt) middle row: shaheena poloo (yellow top), david ellis, martha the dog, marianna la fuente, janet moses (black coat)  bottom row: clayton welham