An internationally acclaimed graphic artist and designer will take to the stage at Cleveland College of Art & Design (CCAD) next week to talk about his career working with major clients such as Apple, Google, Hermés and the London Underground.

Launching its new season of evening talks and networking events through the CCAD Creative series, print-maker Anthony Burrill will visit the specialist northern art school on Tuesday 13 March to launch the Creative Talks series, which is open to the public.

At the college’s university-level campus in Hartlepool, Anthony will reveal his creative journey from teenage music fan to where he is today, his approach to working in the creative industry and everything else in between.

Anthony was born in Littleborough, Lancashire and now lives and works on the Isle of Oxney, Kent. After studying Graphic Design at Leeds Polytechnic he completed an MA in Graphic Design at the Royal College of Art, London.

He is known for his persuasive, up-beat style of communication. His work is held in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, and has been exhibited in galleries around the world including the Barbican Art Gallery, the Walker Art Center, Minnesota and the Design Museum, London.

Words and language are an important part of Anthony’s work and he has developed a distinctive voice that is sought after by collectors of his posters and prints. He is perhaps best known for his typographic, text-based compositions, including the now-famous “Work Hard and Be Nice to People”, which has become a mantra for the design community and beyond.

Anthony is looking forward to exploring the challenges he faces during the guest lecture and what inspires him. He said: “My favourite piece of work is a poster I designed which was printed with crude oil gathered from the beach in the Gulf of Mexico shortly after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

“I love the challenge of working with a new client or fitting my approach in to a situation that needs thought and exploration. My approach is to remain flexible, keep things manageable and only take on projects that I feel I have a connection to and that will be interesting to work on. The thread that unites everything is my desire to keep things simple, to use the minimum of visual means to communicate the most.”

As part of the event, which runs from 6pm until 8pm in the newly opened lecture theatre at the college in Church Square, guests can enjoy a buffet with refreshments and an opportunity to network prior to Anthony’s guest lecture. With a limited number of spaces, bookings for this free event are advised as soon as possible to ensure availability and can be made at https://hartlepool.ccad.ac.uk/public-events/

Pat Chapman, Vice Principal (Employability and External Relations) at CCAD, said: “CCAD is the northern school of art and so we are a centre not just for learning in the creative industries but for the vibrant creative sector across the region. That’s why we bring renowned artists such as Anthony to the campus and, through our network events, allow them to meet and share experience with students, and creative businesses. Anthony’s career is inspirational for early career designers as well as established professionals.

“Anthony is just one of a high profile group of nationally and internationally recognised creatives that the College works with on a regular basis.  This event is one of our programme of open lectures and networking events which we hold in our brand new theatre space on our Hartlepool campus. These events are about hearing from people at the peak of their creative careers as well as giving businesses the chance to network in a great, informal environment.”