Working 5-9

To highlight the creativity of the South West, the West of England Design Forum has created a book which focuses not on the formal work created by the region’s designers – but on what they get up outside office hours.

Mum No.1 by Mathew Watts, brand strategist at Mytton Williams
Mum No.1 by Mathew Watts, brand strategist at Mytton Williams

The 5 to 9 book has been put together (outside the 9-5 hours of course) by a team including printers Taylor Brothers and C&J Adams and paper company GF Smith.

The WEDF book team approached designers across the region and asked them to share their personal projects.

Hand-made pots by design advisor Lynne Elvins
Hand-made pots by design advisor Lynne Elvins

WEDF says, ‘We were already well aware of the brilliant work that local designers were producing in their 9-5 jobs, but we wanted to see what they created outside these hours, without the constraints of brand guidelines and demands of their pay cheque.’

The results are a truly eclectic mix. There are unexpected talents – with design advisor Lynne Elvins showing her handmade pottery, and Mytton Williams brand strategist Matthew Watts displaying his painting Mum no. 1 (painted in his garden shed).

JazzType poster, by Mytton Williams creative director Bob Mytton
JazzType poster, by Mytton Williams creative director Bob Mytton

There are unlikely and challenging projects such as Bob Mytton’s JazzTypes posters – in which he aimed to create a poster a day about a jazz artist over 100 days.

And there are 5-9 projects that became 9-5 moneyspinners, like Northbank design director Simon Cryer’s abstract David Bowie images, which were spotted by the V&A and printed up as a series of posters to accompany the museum’s recent Bowie exhibition.

Low, by Simon Cryer, design director, Northbank
Low, by Simon Cryer, design director, Northbank

The limited-edition 5-9 book was designed by Dave North.

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  • Matt - November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Mum No.1 by Mathew Watts

    Wow – I think Mathew may have missed his calling (or it is due…) Awesome!

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