“I think that we’ve always tried to push ourselves and keep what we make moving forward, hopefully improving. We are lucky that we’re approached to work on jobs based on our own particular take on things. But we can diversify within that a fair bit as well.” In a field that is oversaturated with wannabes, to be a somebody is no small feat. Yet Day is surprisingly modest when it comes to patting his own back. Far from stating their talent as the overriding factor in their success, he points instead to their versatility. “There’s quite a lot of variety of styles in the work we’ve made over the last 5 years. I think that plays a part in staying in business, for sure,” he notes.
While many artists are better known for their collaborative work than their solo outings, Day is able to pin-point two which have really helped him and his partner in crime find their mojo. With his tongue firmly in his cheek, he states, “Off the top of my head, when Jay-Z met Linkin Park or when The Muppets met Weezer.”
But as with any good working partnership, it is about a balance of strengths. While they may be known for their collective output, Day reveals that their roles and capabilities are vastly different. “Biddy is a fantastic designer but I’m not a designer by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ve always liked how words can work with pictures.”
And while he concedes that design is far from his forte, the artist and commercial illustrator is more than happy to explain his own positives and passions. He states without hesitation, when asked for his preferred medium, “I really like painting but screen printing is close to my heart. I love the process, as stressful as it can sometimes be. Nothing’s better than holding a freshly finished print.”
Though some years ago they would have taken on board any project that passed their way, they have found that acclaim and success has brought them the ability to be a little bit more picky. So what is it about one project that makes it stand out from the next? Day defines the selection process rather simply, “We have to be interested in the project. It’s always good to work on something when you and the client can meet in the middle. ‘Where ideas meet’, sounds like an ad for Tele Cafe.”
With so many offers coming their way and so many works already stacked neatly in their portfolio, it seems only right, before we move on to discuss their latest work, that we take a moment to reminisce about what they feel is their most memorable to date. It doesn’t take much thinking time for Day to land at the following work. “Once we had to paint a mural on a wall made of 110 cases of beer, for a beer launch. We did it in front of an audience (who were simultaneously drinking the beer), then when we finished they pulled it apart and gave everyone at the launch a case. That was weird seeing this thing we’d worked on for nine hours dismantled in 45 seconds.”
With beverages once again playing a role in their work, Day explains how they came to be involved in global soft drink giant Schweppes summer project. “We were approached for this job through our agent The Jacky Winter Group and asked if we were keen to make a series of t-shirt graphics for the Schweppes summer campaign.” Just the sheer immense proportions of the project were enough to tempt the duo’s creative juices into full flow. An ecstatic and excited Day continues, “We thought it sounded great, it’s pretty crazy seeing our name on the side of all these bottles in the super market.”
