T Shirt Designer Greg Abbott

The Interview

Hi Greg – thanks for talking to us. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into illustration?

Hi Simon! Thank you very much for having me! I am an illustrator and designer based in West Sussex, England. I have been self-employed since 2008 and have always enjoyed and been interested in drawing. Most of the work I receive is illustrative in nature which I enjoy very much. I am a minimalist and Mac enthusiast. I enjoy baked goods, dinosaurs, sci-fi, music, TV, cartoons, movies, old books, walking, organisation, structure and automation amongst a number of other things.

I notice a lot of monsters and illustrated type in your designs – whats the inspiration behind this?

I grew up with Mr. Men, The Moomins, The Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a host of other anthropomorphic characters. My enjoyment of these characters has influenced the current direction of my character based work. As for illustrated type, I love lettering but do not know where this interest stemmed from.

The typography you use in your illustrations is stunning – have you ever considered creating your own fonts?

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it. I have considered and would be interested in typeface work. To date I have designed a few character sets but have not got so far as to develop these to the point where they are ready to be transformed into typeface files.

Which stores sell your tshirts and how else do you market yourself?

Although I do not produce or sell t-shirts at this time, a list of my printed t-shirts which are available to buy online through my client’s stores can be viewed at Mintees. I use my work and services to market myself. I try to accept opportunities and participate wherever and whenever possible.

Which are your favourite tshirt stores and competitions online?

Although I am not a wearer of graphic t-shirts, I enjoy the collections of Johnny Cupcakes, Electric Zombie and Threadless.

What are your plans for the future?

I really love what I’m currently lucky enough to do for a living and hope to be able to continue for as long as possible. I’d love to produce products under my own name and branch out in terms of the types of work I produce, take on and receive.

Thanks for joining us Greg. You can find out more about Greg and his work here