Steve Simpson

Steve Simpson is known for his packaging designs, quirky characters and illustrated barcodes. Simpson’s work is inspired by the arts and crafts movement, 50s advertising and folk art.

At 14, his main influences towards the comic industry was through his uncle working for DC Thompson. Steve Thompson would work there drawing the boxes around the cartoons produced in the comic books. In 1990, Steve Simpson moved from Manchester to Dublin.

His career started with animation and working for comic books. At the age of 26, Steve Simpson worked as an art director for Budgie the Little Helicopter with Fred Wolf Film. He later on got recruited to produce cartoons for Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles. However, he felt his style was restricted working as an art director; the cartoons had to look a certain way. Steve Simpson later on worked for Danger Mouse, Count Duckula, and Cosgrove Hall.

Simpson later on worked in the illustration industry as he felt the animation/ comic book industry did not fit his style of working. With branding briefs, Steve Simpson works in an illustrative style to add personality, character, and liveliness. His style doesn’t entail a certain requirement of looking tidy, and staying in a set grid. The work suggests a sense of whimsical, fun as well as creating something contemporary, current, trendy and fitting to a certain age group to fit the clients purpose. Due to this, Steve Simpson work is more had-crafted through drawing out fonts and illustrations. He originally works through sketchbooks and then later on works with software to fit the project briefs requirements.

Illustration label work produced by Steve Simpson, for the company Inferno, for their chilli sauce products. These labels have successfully won awards at The society of Illustrators (New York), Association of Illustrators (United Kingdom), Applied Arts (Canada) and finally achieved bronze bell at the Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (Ireland).

Design work for Inferno Chilli Sauce 

Steve Simpson worked for a holiday promotional campaign for Unreal Candy. The project entailed packaging design, social media, promotion and travel. The first task was to design Candy Andy. Simpson created masks to add characteristics and personality towards the brand.

Packaging design for Unreal Candy

Social Media took apart of the campaign when Tom Brady dressed up as ‘Candy Andy’, the video was released, within 24 hours the video gained 1.5 billion viewers.

The company also had 190 feet tall digital screen in Times Square for which they created 30 second animated loop.

They then visited Mexico, The Panteón Civil de Dolores, the largest cemetery in Mexico with over 1,000,000 interments to fit their campaign.