#btconf Düsseldorf, Germany 13 - 15 May 2019

Rob Draper

Rob is an artist and designer based in the UK who specialises in hand lettering and creativity. Rob has worked with a range of worldwide clients including The Golden Globes, Levi’s, Samsung, Gap, Nike, Penguin Random House, Bartle Bogle & Hegarty, Pentagram, Harper & Collins, WWF & The Washington Post. He has had work featured in worldwide press from IdN International Designers Network, Design Taxi and numerous lettering/design/creativity publications to The Daily Mail and now also travels to speak on his ‘journey’ and how an unexpected series of events created the role he is in today.

Hard Work, Relentless Dreams and WiFi

Rob is going to tell two stories. The first is how he got here – How did he end up doing this and why does he draw on things? It’s a peculiar story that he himself wouldn’t believe unless it had happened to him. After unexpected redundancy from his dream job he felt he was at a junction - retrain and leave behind a 20+ year design career or go it alone, not turn anything down, try new things and see what happens. That approach left him working in a high security prison and spending his spare time drawing on coffee cups.

The second story is how once finally some of his dreams came true, he found himself back at square one – he had no studio, no office and “home” was living on a camp bed in his sister’s front room next to his 11 year old son and how this has shaped him, his work and his outlook. It’s basically a story of relentlessly pursuing dreams when at times the odds are stacked against you and how sometimes that goes right, sometimes it goes wrong but it’s what you learn and take forward that matters …

Speakers