Sign in
Explore
Howies Online
I was really pleased, not only with getting the opportunity for this interview but also the way it turned out! Last week I was lucky enough to get some brain-picking time with Pete Davies, the senior designer for howies, one of the coolest, most genuine, lifestyle brands out there. He gave some great, insightful responses to a series of questions and provided me with a new favourite quote (“It’s no good just being ‘middle of the road’. Cos ‘middle of the road’ is where you tend to get run over.”) so without further ado, give the results a read below and remember to enter our current Howies contest!
TH: What led you into designing for Howies?
Pete Davies: I skateboard, so was aware of the brand through that. Then just contacted the founders one day on the off chance that they needed some graphic work done. David, Clare and I met up and we got on, so I came in to help them handle some stuff. That was 7 years ago now. Man, time flies.
TH: Did you have an educational background in design or did you learn on the job?
Pete Davies: Yeah I went and did the whole art college thing, then worked a few jobs that paid the bills but didn’t really excite me, then I got with howies and it was a whole different ballgame. David (the bossman) is an ex-award-winning ad guy and he’s worked at some of the best agencies. They kind of shaped his creativity and work ethic, so he’s passed that onto me I suppose. So I feel pretty lucky to have learned from the best… In a kind of hand-me-down way.
Howies Girls Tshirts
TH: How do you think this has helped shape you as lead designer for a well respected brand?
Pete Davies: I can’t say college helped me. I messed around a lot, skateboarding and whatnot. In fact, the day I got my student loan I spent it all on a trip to Europe, so I’d say I landed on my feet and I’ve more or less learned on the job. But I wouldn’t recommend that sort of behaviour to the youth of today… Stay in school kids!
TH: howies has a very specific aesthetic that more than anything conveys a message and shares your brand’s ethos with every design. How do you go about creating an aesthetically pleasing design that also means something and tells a story?
Pete Davies: T-shirts are tricky and nobody here has written a formula. But they do need impact and relevance. They need to be instant – if the viewer doesn’t get it within 3 seconds then it’s too involved. So it’s about keeping things simple. If it doesn’t need to be there, or if it’s not helping the story, I tend to get rid of it.
"Leave No Trace" Pete's Favourite Tshirt Design
TH: What is your personal favorite tshirt design out of all that howies have released?
Pete Davies: I’ve got so many… But if I had to pick one it would be the Leave No Trace pencil guy (pictured above) that Geoff McFetridge did for us a while back. It’s just design perfection. Geoff is so good, he makes me feel not-very-good-at-all.
TH: What inspires you to keep creating innovative, unique designs?
Pete Davies: Pretty much just this mad, fucked up planet we live on. I’ve always seen howies as kind of like the Bill Hicks of the t-shirt world, haha. Someone who perhaps looks at the world a little differently and sees things others may miss. Then we take what we see, put our typically British irreverent spin on it and present it to the audience in a non-preachy way, where they hopefully learn something, but weren’t actually aware that they just learned something. Also, the fact that there’s so much great design out there. Stuff that just makes you nod your head and go “damn, I wish I’d thought of that”. As a designer you can’t help but want that from your own work too. It’s no good just being ‘middle of the road’. Cos ‘middle of the road’ is where you tend to get run over.
TH: How do you work creatively to strict deadlines, for example the Tee of the Week, must be quite demanding on you and your designers?
Pete Davies: It gets pretty crazy from time to time. But a deadline is a deadline and we have to hit it. So it’s a case of clubbing together and getting it done, no matter what. Thankfully, I’ve got a good team. And caffeine helps…
Howies Guys Tshirts
TH: What do you personally like most about being a designer at howies?
Pete Davies: Being able to live in a great part of the world with amazing beaches and mountains and do work that I’m proud of, with some supremely talented folk. Also the challenge of it all. I’m aware of that big old weight on my shoulders. But carrying big weights makes you stronger doesn’t it?
TH: What do you think it is that your customers enjoy most about your designs?
Pete Davies: Hopefully, the ideas are our point of difference. For the customer, there’s a lot of choice out there when it comes to t-shirts, there are some great-looking designs on the shop shelves. But to me a lot of them just don’t seem to be saying much. Hopefully we stand out from them, perhaps by being political, topical, funny, or even just plain dumb.
TH: What is next for howies?
Pete Davies: In the grand scheme of things, this brand of ours is still tiny, but it’s got a far wider appeal and the potential is pretty huge (if not a bit scary), we just need to take it to the people. We are busy trying to do that – we just launched our new do-it-yourself t-shirt site teepay.com and we’ve also got the Do Lectures coming up. Both of which have a lot of interest in them. And both of which keep me awake at night.
A massive thank you to Pete Davies for his time and his excellent and interesting responses! Be sure to look out for a feature on howies new tshirt based project teepay.com in the next few days!
Now go and feast your eyes on the awesomeness that is howies.
(Sign up for a howies catalog too, they are immense)
