Stuart Witter

This month's banner graphic was created by Stuart Witter. I caught up with him to find out a little bit more about his worK, the future of designer toys, and an incident involving a kebab shop.

So then, who are you, what do you do and where are you based?

I'm Stuart Witter, an Illustrator and character designer mainly but dabble in customizing toys, toy design, manufacturing design and now and then exhibit my toys and paintings. I'm based in Nottingham, my work is far better traveled than I and I've taken part in shows as far afield as Singapore and the U.S.

Who or what are your inspirations?

I'm inspired by my childhood, cartoons, toys, games, movies, subcultures in general but specifically musical subcultures like B Boys and Junglists. A lot of my work draws from specific toys that I desired when I was young, twisting them, but trying to keep everything that inspired me in place. I like to try and distill a character to it's component parts and have fun with them on a page or drape them over a DIY toy.

So I understand you've collaborated with Jon Burgerman. How did that come about and what where you two up to?

We met for the first time at a character design conference in Berlin... I ran into him again at the launch of the Nottingham Creative Network and ended up planning the Worryknott sculpture. In the end we collaborated on a few toy projects - my favourite was the VW bus made for the 40 year celebration of Hot Wheels. Jon's a nice chap with an unnatural salad obsession.

Why do you feel that toy design has been an area of interest to designers in recent years?

I think that the designer toy scene gives artists an opportunity to see one of thier ideas born as a tactile little object, often with accesories and a life story. Collecting Art can be an expensive business and art toys create an opportunity to have a range of artists work sitting on top of your monitor. Collectors have been introduced to so many artists and styles through the likes of Kidrobot and Toy2r I applaude all they have done to raise the profile of character design and illustration as Art.

What new trends in the toy and character design scene are you most interested in?

I'm really interested in the creative use of materials to create a toy that stands out from the crowded vinyl scene. There are some great wooden designs appearing and I have always loved designing characters in fabric. Sometimes huggablity counts for a lot in the way that somebody will react to a character. The designs of custom toys that I like the most are a balance of simple characterisation and complex well finished technique.

Finally, have you ever been in a fight? If so, what happened?

I have been a few times, never started one mind. The last time I was involved in a rukkus, a chap attacked me in a local kebab shop. He was so drunk he couldn't order a kebab and took exception to my order being given priority over his. He was a dick.

Many thanks to Stuart for taking the time to talk to us and supply this month's lovely banner graphic. More of Stuart's work is on display at www.stuartwitter.com.