I came across this really talented fellow designer Muiz Anwar, from Manchester, UK on my daily Flickr browse lately, his work is striking and bold, definitely commanding my attention. From  reinterpretations of the letters of the Arabic alphabet, to in your face splashes of colour perfectly and carefully utilized over top some unique designs. Brilliant overall work, I got in-touch with him recently and bounced a few questions off of him, here’s what he had to say:

Ib: Hey there, Can you tell us a bit of your upbringing ..

M: I’m Manchester born and raised, which is in the North-West of England. Manchester is famous not only for its’ rain, but also for its’ iconic musical exports and design culture: The Hacienda, Joy Division, Happy Mondays, Oasis, Peter Saville, Malcom Garrett…

Ib: What’s the earliest Creative related memory you can recall?

M: My earliest creative memory is hard to pin point – but one of the earliest would be drawing animals and dinosaurs on the back of stapled bunches of outdated timesheets my mum would bring home from work. I think I still have one or two of these, but the colour has faded a little.

Ib: Was there a certain point in your life when you decided to explore your arabic roots creatively as seen in some of your work? or has this always been something that just happened naturally for you?

M: One thing has always fascinated me from a scientific, philosophical and theological perspective – is what I call, “the Origin of Order” – or how things came to be – including the various races of humans.

M: It can be anything. I really am inspired by the world around me. Many designers choose to look to their own discipline and peers for inspiriation in their work – but my work and aesthetic has always been informed by a variety of things. It could the latest concept car by Audi or BMW, or a dress from a couture catwalk, a new scientific theorem, a piece of graffiti, a story in the news…. Whatever it is it has to be genuinely innovative – something that triggers excitement, imagination or challenges my preconceptions. These are things that make the cogs in my mind begin to turn and whur into motion – and trigger images and words which manifest themselves into typography, photography, illustration, product design, graphic design, fashion ideas which I will sketch of create immediately.

Creativity and inspiration can never and should never be overly defined – to do so illustrates a lack of objectivity to your environment and how that environment can inform you.

Ib: Can you pick three of your favourite pieces of work and talk about them, within the realms of the four W’s (What, why, when, where)?

M: What: ILM Magazine

Why: It proved that editorial design can be both cutting edge & have substance.

It also provided me with my first project where I did my own photography, styling, typography, article writing, art direction, fashion and publication design – so despite the issues I see in it now, it’ll always hold a very special place in my heart.

When: 2008 / 2009

Where: Designed in Manchester, England.

For more pictures click here

2.

What: “Morse Code” Arabic

Why: It pushed Arabic to its’ legible & aesthetic limits. I used to think the beauty and complexity of Arabic was evident in its’ curves. I proved myself wrong.

When: 2009

Where: Designed in Manchester, England.

3.

What: “Untitled”

Why: My first foray back to my first love after 5 years of intensive graphic work, I returned to my illustrative roots. Using my signature ballpoints, I began creating characters for a project that would explore how culture and tradition permeate through the generations, especially when those generations grow up in different environments. It’s the most successful form of characterisation through figurative illustration I have done in recent years.

When: 2008

Where: Created in Manchester, England.

For more images in the series click here

Ib: What are some of the sites that you just have to check on a daily basis?

M: Sites I have to check on the daily (too many to mention, I literally cruise upto 50/60 blog front pages from a meticulously organised bookmark library) I’ve included a small selection below:

Flickr / Twitter / Behance / Typography Served / FFFFOUND / FormFiftyFive / Creative Review Blog / Eye Blog / Wired Magazine / Vanity Fair Magazine / Coute Que Coute Blog / Icon_ology / Boston Big Picture / The Die Line / The Lovely Package

Ib: In fin, Just before you die, as you are about to expire from this world, what would you would’ve liked to achieve with your life?