Breed – Matt Blease’s favourite project
Personal best – Matt Blease
We continue the new series where we ask Breed artists to select a piece or project of their own that holds a special meaning for them. It may not necessarily be the most successful or even their favourite, simply one that stands out for them as important in some way. We’re intrigued to see the choices made and the stories they may lead to.
This time we turn to Matt Blease. Originally from Liverpool, Matt studied Design Futures in Edinburgh before arriving in London in 2004. There he worked on design for clients including the BBC, Nike and Sony, going on to lead the graphic design team at Liberty. After going freelance his style has become immediately identifiable for its simple look and observational humour, often drawing on his love of skateboarding and cycling. His clients have included Rapha, Apple and The New York Times. He certainly has plenty of projects to choose from, so let’s see which one he opts for.
What piece have you chosen?
The Skate Bat.
Why is it special to you?
Long before I called myself an illustrator, I was a student of product design. Not working on a flat page or a screen but in 3D (real 3D – like an actual thing you can poke, pick up, kick over). Still, to this day, nothing brings me more joy than to think of an object and bring it into existence. It’s my God complex. The Skate Bat is a good example of this.
What’s the story behind it?
I was asked to take part in the Art of Ping Pong‘s exhibition and charity auction in 2017. A fantastic project of their’s that invites artists to customise blank ping pong bats – which are exhibited and auctioned off to raise money for charity.
Not only did The Skate Bat do really well in the auction but was won by a fantastic art director who went on to commission me on some incredible projects.
How did you come to create this piece?
I hate Ping Pong! When I sat down and stared at the blank bat I thought to myself ‘I wish this was a skateboard’… then took it from there.
Fun Fact: The only trick I landed on it was a 360 shuvit. I didn’t have the ping pong balls to try anything else.
