citylikeyou — Stafford / Ben Anslow

Ben Anslow is a designer and illustrator working mainly with print, specifically in book design. Since graduating from Staffordshire University last year he has gained recognition from a variety of design publications, including Wallpaper*, Digital Arts and the London Design Festival. In 2011 Ben was awarded a D&AD Best New Blood and an ISTD membership for his typography. He is currently doing illustration work for Penguin Books.

http://benanslow.com

Designer Illustrator

Current city: Stafford

benanslow.com

Stafford / Museum

The Shire Hall Gallery is in the central area of Stafford town and is an exhibition space, library and cafe rolled into one. Recent exhibitions have included paper-cutting artist, Rob Ryan.

Stafford / Architecture

The village of Brocton is well known for having a number of timber-frame houses, but this house just stands out to me in particular. It was built in 1911 and is one of the most atmospheric and characterful houses you could possibly come across, in what is otherwise a quintessential English village.

Stafford / Place

Well known as being J.R.R. Tolkien’s inspiration for ‘Middle Earth’ in the Lord of the Rings books, Cannock Chase (colloquially ‘The Chase’) is somewhere that friends and I have frequented for many years. If you go to a part called Broc Hill at just the right time, you can literally just sit there and watch the sun disappear behind the horizon, and witness some stunning gradients in the sky. Also a great place for running and photography—you even get to see the odd few deer just bounding around. Cannock Chase is officially listed as one of England’s ‘Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB).

Stafford / Lake

In 1936 George Orwell described Rudyard Lake in one of his diary entries as ‘very depressing’. Today though, I can confirm that it really is a lovely place, with a fascinating display of lakeside cabins and boathouses—more reminiscent of something you’d see in New England than the Midlands. The most popular thing visitors do is set themselves the goal of walking full circle around the lake, which is about 4-5 miles and takes around 2 hours.

New York / Visual Artist

Joan Wong is a designer that creates visual responses to narratives. She has designed book covers for Penguin, Random House, Alfred A. Knopf, Farrar Straus and Giroux, New Directions, Simon and Schuster, and Harper Collins. She is also a frequent collaborator with the New York Times, creating spot illustrations for their articles. In 2018, she curated and illustrated a collection of online stories about “lives that could have been” called “Sister Life.”

New York / Creative Director

As the Chief Creative Officer of Squarespace, David leads the company’s award-winning creative team, whose work encapsulates all brand creative, web design and product design efforts for the company. His personal mission is to build great products and a great brand, while telling compelling stories at the intersection of product, design and marketing. Since joining Squarespace in 2013, David has masterminded four Super Bowl campaigns and won an Emmy award for most Outstanding Commercial of 2017. He has also led the successful launches of Squarespace Logo and Squarespace 7. Prior to Squarespace, David served as Worldwide Digital Executive Creative Director of TBWA Worldwide and led the creation and launch of the Digital Arts Network. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy and AKQA, and as an Art Director at Sid Lee. His work has been recognized by almost every industry award, including the Cannes Lions, ADC, Clios, One Show, D&AD, Webby Awards and SXSW Interactive. David has recently been named as one of the Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company in 2017. He currently serves as an Executive Member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and is on the advisory board at D&AD. He is a frequent judge and gives talks for the ADC, One Show, D&AD, AICP, Webby Awards, SXSW and Fast Company. He graduated from RISD with a BFA in graphic design. A native of Quebec, Canada, David now resides in Tribeca with his wife and daughter.

London / Designer

Digital Designer in London, half of twomuch studio

Auckland / Art Director

Art Director & Designer based in Auckland, New Zealand. Nicole is currently at Karen Walker International heading the Graphic & Print design department. Before doing so, Nicole worked in the Television industry working on local TV shows, as well as working as a motion graphic designer for MTV / Nickelodeon.

Braidwood / Creative Director

Elke Kramer is creative director and designer working with objects and ornament, and resides in rural NSW beside the Monga National Park.

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