Mark James is not bored (and he would not suppose you ought to be both)

Mark James would not like to sit down nonetheless. He admits as a lot early on in our chat. “I find it hard to relax, my brain’s constantly on the go,” he says. “So the busier, the better.”

It’s maybe no shock, then, that during the last twenty years, the Cardiff-based multidisciplinary artist and art director has constructed a strikingly various physique of labor. From album sleeves to immersive installations, viral hoaxes to iconic branding tasks, Mark’s portfolio blends humour, subversion and sharp conceptual considering in a means that is immediately recognisable.

Even if you do not know his title, you’ve got most likely seen his work — and really presumably chuckled, raised an eyebrow, or questioned your eyesight within the course of.

“I never had any formal training…”

Growing up in Cardiff, Mark knew from a younger age he wished to work in music and design sleeves. But with out apparent routes into the artistic industries, he solid his personal path, making collages impressed by Jamie Reid and Barney Bubbles, designing flyers for native golf equipment, and finally going freelance after a stint in a display printing store.

A transfer to London got here in 2000 with the chance to artwork direct at Island Records, earlier than a return to Cardiff in 2012 noticed him arrange a house studio, the place he nonetheless works immediately.

“I work mostly on my own,” he says, “but there are always collaborators. DOPs, animators, photographers. You bring in who you need, depending on the project. Working with musicians, especially, is such a creative process. A title or lyric can spark a whole visual world.”

That’s precisely what occurred with Gruff Rhys’ 2024 album Sadness Sets Me Free, the place Mark constructed the paintings fully in Blender after which prolonged the idea into animated movies and tour visuals.

Highs, lows and chickens

Over the years, Mark has had his fair proportion of profession highs. There’s the Abbey Road Studios rebrand. A sold-out designer toy sequence chosen by MoMA. And ‘Under Neon Loneliness’ — a 20ft delivery container turned immersive gentle set up that pulled in 16,500 guests in simply three weeks.

He’s additionally no stranger to going viral. In 2014, his now-infamous brand for Dirty Bird Fried Chicken stirred up headlines by utilizing the lowercase letters’ db’ to kind a rooster that – relying in your creativeness – additionally resembled one thing slightly extra ahem anatomical. “Quite puerile really,” he says, “but it brought a smile to people’s faces. Ten years later, it’s still getting attention. The gift that keeps on giving.”

Another viral second got here in 2016, when Mark faked a meteor sighting over Flatholm Island as a part of an artwork marketing campaign. “I posted shaky phone footage to Twitter and asked if anyone else had seen it. By morning, it had gone global.” The meteor turned out to be a returning NASA Golden Record from 1977, and a intelligent launch stunt for the Cardiff Contemporary Visual Arts Festival.

But with the highs come the inevitable artistic wobbles. “There’ve been tough times, especially working solo. You have quiet weeks, and that little voice starts asking if it’s all over. But it’s usually fine. You just have to keep making. Keep doing your own thing.” For Mark, which means self-initiated tasks are all the time on the go — “just to keep the wheels turning.”

On the enterprise of creativity

With over twenty years of freelance expertise below his belt, Mark is refreshingly pragmatic concerning the enterprise facet of issues.

“I set aside half a day a week for admin. That’s usually enough. I have an accountant who helps me massively. And honestly, it’s not all that complicated.”

Most of his work comes via phrase of mouth, significantly from bands and musicians. “Social media’s good too. Although people may assume they can’t afford me, which isn’t the case. If it’s a fun or interesting job, I’m game. It’s not just about the budget — I need to stay creatively active.”

Looking forward

As for what’s subsequent, Mark’s ambition hasn’t dulled. He’s open to company illustration, eager for brand new artistic challenges, and dreaming larger — from trend model installations to full-scale worldwide exhibitions.

“There’s definitely a pull towards Japan,” he says. “I’ve done a few collaborations there and had a solo show in Tokyo in 2022. I’m planning another for October. I’d love to grow that side of things — more international work, more large-scale stuff, more connections.”

In the meantime, there is a dream café idea effervescent away within the background: a Japanese curry spot in Tokyo’s Tomigaya neighbourhood, absolutely designed and branded by Mark himself. “It might never happen. But I’m designing the menu, the interior, the merch… all of it – just to keep the creative juices flowing.”

Final ideas

Mark’s go-to artistic rituals are surprisingly easy: strolling (“fast-paced, ideas start flowing”) and making lists (“so many lists on my phone – ticking off even one small thing feels like progress”). He finds inspiration in trend, galleries, and music, quoting John Miles as he grins: “Music was my first love, and it will be my last.”

So, what has stored him going all these years? “Just that excitement,” he says. “The spark you get at the start of a project, when an idea clicks and you think: yeah, that’s it. That’s the one.”

Spoken like a person who’s nonetheless very a lot in love with the work.