Ian Wright is a British illustrator.

Education and career

Born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1953, Wright studied at Goldsmiths College in London (1974–1975) and received a bachelor's degree in graphic design from the

London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. Its origins are in education for the printing and retail industries; it now specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation ...

in 1978. Following his degree studies, he became an assistant to George Hardie (1978–1979) and then shared a studio with designer

Neville Brody Neville Stanley Brody (born 23 April 1957) is an English graphic designer, typographer and art director. He is known for his work on '' The Face'' magazine (1981–1986), ''Arena'' magazine (1987–1990), and designing record covers for artis ...

at '' The Face'' magazine (1979–1981, 1990–1996). In 1981, he set up his own studio. Wright's work as a commercial illustrator has spanned four decades, starting with his illustrative cover of

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradle ...

' " Get Over You" 7-inch single in the late 1970s, progressing with his illustrative artwork for ''The Face'' in its 1980s heyday and his weekly black-and-white portraits for the ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...

''. His subsequent work has included projects for a multitude of diverse individuals, including

Issey Miyake was a Japanese fashion designer. He was known for his technology-driven clothing designs, exhibitions and fragrances, such as '' L'eau d'Issey'', which became his best-known product. Early life and education Miyake was born on 22 April 1938 i ...

, Givenchy,

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and the only continuous member of the alternative rock band the Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the band's initial split in 1996, he be ...

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

, and

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

In his illustrative work, Wright has experimented with a variety of techniques. An early portrait of

Grandmaster Flash Joseph Robert Saddler (born January 1, 1958), known by his stage name Grandmaster Flash, is a Barbadian-American musician and DJ. He created a DJ technique called the Quick Mix Theory. This technique serviced the break-dancer and the rapper by el ...

was made entirely with salt to replicate cocaine as a reference to the seminal rap track "White Lines".Paul Brad
"Ripped & Torn: The Art Of Ian Wright @ the LDF"
''Ancient to Future'', 23 September 2011, retrieved 9 September 2020. He adopted photocopiers at an early stage, changing single-colour toners within the machine to mimic the screen print process by building layers of colour from separate artworks into one final image. In his portraits and illustrative artwork for record sleeves and the music press, he combines analogue and digital techniques. Wright's artwork has been exhibited internationally, including in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

at the

Design Museum The Design Museum in Kensington, London, England, exhibits product, industrial, graphic, fashion, and architectural design. In 2018, the museum won the European Museum of the Year Award. The museum operates as a registered charity, and all fund ...

(2007), the Exposure Gallery (2007), the Cosh Gallery (2007), Rosemary Gardens (2005), and the Pentagram Gallery (2005); in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

at the Reed Space (2006),

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

(2006), Mass Production at The Christopher Henry Gallery (2006), and Issey Miyake (2002); in

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

at Agnes B Librairie Gallery (2007) and the Hong Kong Center Wanchai (2005); and in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

at the 22nd International Biennale of Graphic Design (2006).

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ian 1953 births Living people Alumni of the London College of Printing Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London English illustrators