“I think a key theme in my work is trying to make it feel very tangible,” says Ethan Read, who has graduated from the graphic design course at UWE Bristol. “Even if it is screen work, the process should have some sort of human touch and imperfection in it to bring that aspect to it.”

This tendency towards tactility is reflected throughout Read’s portfolio. It’s there in his animated documentary of an abandoned mining town in Canada, where archive footage has been transformed into risographs and reanimated as gifs. It’s there in his typeface in honour of Bristol Harbour, based on broken signage and animated in the rhythm of a heartbeat to reflect the harbour’s endangered role as the heart of the community. And it’s also there in his portfolio itself, where the graduate greets you on his website with a wave of the hand.

There’s another pattern in these projects and others: the idea of decay or loss. “I worked to the theme of extinction for my final year project, focusing on aspects other than plants and animals, and trying to combat the apathy towards things going away permanently,” he says. The work was an austere loose-leaf publication representing the estimated number of years left of human life on Earth.

“I think this message is something that I would quite like to keep going with. I think we should try and save as many skills, crafts, languages, artforms, cultures etc as possible. What makes you unique makes you special. It provides different perspectives and knowledge, the more of that, the more paths for new ideas.”

Through his course he was introduced to inspiring creatives and encouraging tutors, who have helped him to expand his techniques, his tastes and, crucially, his sense of resilience. “Part of the course is applying to opportunities sent through either internally and externally. I didn’t manage to get any but it helps to give you a thicker skin and experience of communicating with clients.”

It’s indicative of a personal journey Read has been on, to become more self-assured and “to not be so self-deprecating about my work and myself. I have struggled with confidence for a long time, but it would help a lot to have a reasonable amount of confidence in myself so I don’t sell myself short. Finding a job is a challenge at the moment but no one usually gets hired right out of the gate. I will keep applying to stuff and see what happens.”

While he’s still working out what he’d like to be doing, he is eager to continue developing his illustrated type and animation work. “It is a great mix between the digital and physical production processes,” he says. Ultimately, he is keen on variety. “I have never been keen on specialising on one thing. It would be awesome to set up my own space or one that I could share with others like at university, where we can work socially and collaboratively.”

Given his penchant for craft and hand-rendered design, it’s perhaps unsurprising to learn he is less keen on AI. “Seeing it become more widely accepted, especially by the general public or by creative companies, makes me a bit sad and pessimistic about applying to jobs or studios,” he says.

It’s not only concerns around creators’ IP and jobs that dissuade him. “There is also an inherent joy in making things yourself. Spending a long time making and working at those skills is inherently fun. And at the end having the excitement of having something you made yourself is one of those great feelings that AI can’t replace for me.” Yet he hopes that there will be a resistance. “Maybe through an oversaturation of AI art and writing, there will be a greater appreciation and resurgence of human-made work.”

His views on AI are in keeping with the advice that underpins his creative practice. “Never half-ass anything. If you are going to do something, do it right. It doesn’t mean be a perfectionist but just try your hardest. It will often leave you with a result you will be happier with anyway.”

ethan-read.com