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Marian Bantjes Lecture at the St Bride Foundation

Wed 06 Oct 2010 by Penny_Dann

Marian Bantjes- typographer,designer, illustrator

Yesterday I went to the St Bride Foundation just off Fleet Street

to hear Marian give a talk about her work and the way she found her way to her distinctive and stunning

output. A self confessed "art school drop-out" she worked as a typsetter, learning the craft that would inform her later work.

She then started a design company with a friend. After several years she felt that the studio's work would not be what she wanted to leave behind as a legacy so took the plunge to

sell up and spend a year trying to find a way of working that she loved. I would say the audience all thought her print design work looked pretty

amazing, but her "4 year mid life crisis" obviously proved fruiful and worthwile, her work is diverse and amazing!

Her inspiration ranges from neon coloured signs in her home town of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada to recreating Victorian ornament in pasta shapes

(didn't we all attempt something like that at playschool?)

Just google her images, or buy the new book "I Wonder" (Thames & Hudson), you won't regret it.

http://www.bantjes.com

Also check out the St Bride Foundation, they run all sorts of interesting events on the subject of design,

and holds the world's foremost printing and graphc arts library.

http://www.stbridefoundation.org