angus hyland interview

angus hyland interview

angus hyland is a partner at pentagram, working from their london office since 1998.

DB: please could you tell us how you came to be a graphic designer?
AH: I liked record covers, tin tin books and letraset catalogues. I didn’t have a private income and I’m dyslexic. it seemed like a good career choice.

DB: what made you decide to join pentagram rather than work independently?
AH: a peer group and a salary.

DB: how many designers are on your team and how do you share the workload?
AH: there are four designers on my team plus myself and a project manager. we share the workload evenly.

puffin and penguin logos

penguin phrasebook covers

nabokov collection book covers

DB: what is the attraction of designing identities for you?
AH: rather like a person, a company or institution’s identity is part of their core; their DNA.

DB: are you able to finalize an identity much quicker than when you started out?
AH: the benefit of experience is you encounter similar problems time and again. so you do get quicker at it.

DB: what mistakes or ‘traps’ should a young designer avoid when working on an identity system?
AH: to think it’s about them when it’s not. it’s about who they’re working for.

kafka book covers

the purple book

ancient mariner book cover

symbol book

DB: the work you produce is quite diverse, what are your thoughts on specialization vs generalization?
AH: I guess specialization is the preserve of the geek. I may be many things but I’m not a geek. besides, I’m easily bored so generalization suits my character.

DB: do you think it’s important for a graphic designer to be able to draw?
AH: I’ve been trying to draw for about 30 years and, like my handwriting, it seems to be getting worse. however, we should all draw, graphic designer or not, good or bad, because it’s enjoyable and a really useful means of communication.

DB: how do you think the popularity of online design resources have influenced design being produced today?
AH: since I really come from a generation that was educated through analog means, I can’t answer this question with any accuracy. increasingly the people that work for me have been brought up in the digital world and clearly they have been influenced by these things.

cass art stationery