Interview: Getting to Know Tom Bunney, Graphic Designer, Illustrator & Rider

Jul 15, 2021
by Chris McLeod  
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We caught up with Tom Bunney to talk about his collaboration on the new Snake Track collection that is now available at the Pinkbike Shop, and to learn more about the man behind the designs. It’s clear after spending the morning with him at the dirt jumps in Whistler, that his unique style extends well beyond his designs.

Check out the full Snake Track collection shop.pinkbike.com

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How long have you been a graphic designer and illustrator, how did you start?


I’ve been working in the industry professionally for about 11 years now. I studied Graphic Design at an arts university in England down in Falmouth in sunny Cornwall. After that I moved up to London to do a few internships. I never intended on living there, but after a job offer I ended up sticking around. I somehow made it 5 years living and working in London in various design studios and advertising agencies. This was much more corporate design work, but taught me so much. Illustration at that point in my life was more of a side hustle. After a few merch commissions from bands and clothing companies, I soon started to carve my own style of illustration and from then it’s progressively made up more of the bulk of my work load. I still work on more corporate design jobs - branding, editorial layouts, icon design, websites etc - but I’m definitely more known for my illustration work now, and the majority of my commissions are apparel designs and merch.

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What is your process when you start a design?


I will always start with pencil and paper. It’s the quickest and easiest way to roughly get a bunch of ideas, concepts and directions down. Too many designers jump straight onto the computer at this stage of the process but with that you’re still somewhat confined and can’t work things out as quickly. From there I’ll loosely refine whatever concepts I think are strongest before then jumping into the computer and starting to work up the concept/composition I feel answers to the brief and the vibe of the project/client the best. I use a graphics tablet and Photoshop to draw most of my stuff up, using Illustrator to create any bold shapes and text elements. From there, it’s just a case of drawing, re-drawing and re-drawing everything, tightening up the linework, moving elements around if need be until it feels solid. This gives the client a good indication of where I’m thinking of going with the design. I’m lucky with the experience and portfolio I now have that clients tend to trust me doing my thing and working up a design that I think will work the best. Once this has been sent over, I’ll continue tweaking and finessing the design based on feedback, adding more detail (still in a sketch) into something more coherent. Normally after this stage the client is usually happy, bar a few minor tweaks. From there I move onto the final linework and draw the final design up digitally.

It’s worth noting that good design doesn’t come quickly. I’ve learnt that I work best by taking time away from every project and letting the old brain work things over subconsciously. This is why getting out and riding is so beneficial to the creative process for me. I can feel stuck in a rut with something but it’s amazing the fresh perspective on things that going for a pedal or getting away from a project for a few hours can have. There is also so much more thinking and working out that goes into a design that may be apparent by what you see in the final piece!


Where did the inspiration come from for the Snake Track Collection design?



The process for creating this design was a bit different compared to a lot of commissions, but it all developed in a very fluid way which was sweet! I was tasked with creating a bunch of new designs for the Pinkbike merch, but there was no real brief, apart from making it all look “cool” and wearable. Normally I work within the confines of a brief which helps to sway the design in some sort of direction as it’s essentially just a problem solving exercise. So with this one I just sent over a bunch of random ideas and mood boards of directions I thought we could take some designs in. This one started as just a rough sketch of a snake with chain links down it’s back, drawn in a bold, simplistic style. After a round of finessing this started to look a bit “friendly” and clean and not quite the vibe of Pinkbike. It was then that we decided to take it down a more illustrated, rougher look as opposed to how I’d worked it up in a bolder vector format, and turn the snake’s patterns into more of a pump track on it’s back, adding flow, depth and movement to the piece and directing it into more of what the final design ended up looking like.

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What makes a good T-shirt design?



My background in graphic design led me down a very conceptually based, ideas driven approach to everything I create. So I don’t just draw things because they look cool, every element has a reason for being there, and I love researching the symbolism behind things to make everything in the design make sense. So I think in answer to the question, something unique and bespoke to the client, that speaks to and pushes the vibe of the brand and certainly not anything taken from a stock website! I try and create my designs to work well at various scales too. Whilst the intricacies of the design can (hopefully!) be appreciated up close, the design also needs to be bold enough to work from far away too. Above all else, it simply needs to reflect the tone of voice of the brand or company that it’s for too.

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What are some of your favourite designs you’ve done over the years?


The very nature of my illustration style is pretty time consuming, meaning I invest a lot of time, energy and passion into every project, so I’m fairly attached to most of my designs! The Druid design I recently did for Forbidden Bike Co has definitely been a favourite though, as well as a drawing of Athena I did years and years ago for Hard Times Clothing in the UK - that was once of my most time intensive pieces yet and I’m still so proud of it. It also made me realise that if I was going to pursue illustration more, I had to reign back the details as I’d spend way too long on a design to make a living from it. Apart from that, the Saint design for my clothing brand Bloodstone is definitely a favourite, it’s a good mix of medieval imagery (which I love), mixed with mountain biking references and has been super popular - seeing other people stoked on a design and stupidly keen to wear it makes it all so much more worthwhile for me.

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Who are some of your favourite artists?



In terms of illustrators, Scott Move, Mike Giant and Alexander Grim all massively inspired my work. They’re tattooers as well as illustrators; tattooing as an art form has played a big part in defining my style, I’ve always loved the bold black lines and commitment to the art. My good friend Erik Harvey, who’s also a tattooer as well as a graffiti artist and bike rider, is a huge inspiration to me too, artistically and just in life in general. That guy shreds. My favourite design studios would be Lincoln Design Co - who have worked extensively in the extreme sports and skateboard industry - as well as Aside Studio back in England. It’d also be rude not to mention my close mate Big Al (Alan Mandel) - not a graphic artist but a dirt artist and exceptional rider, and again, one of my biggest inspirations in life. That guy is the absolute master of building big jumps and sick trails and being around him is always just a party waiting to happen.

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How long have you been riding and howe did you start?


I started riding when I was about 11, way out in the sticks of the Midlands in rural England. For me, it was my first sense of freedom and the feeling of being able to get out and pedal anywhere was so liberating. I started loving the feeling of riding jumps and being in the air soon after this and had a pretty good little crew. I dabbled in BMX for a bit but never really enjoyed it that much - spots and skateparks were so hostile back then and there was no support from older riders, and the small bikes felt so unstable to me - and by that point most of my fiends had stopped riding. With the advent of cars, girls, booze, parties etc. riding then took a back seat in my life for a solid 8 years or so. It was a trip out to Oregon whilst I lived in London that made me question where my life was going in the city and wanting to be back in the mountains and closer to nature - I remembered seeing video segments of Whistler all those years ago and travelling to the PNW re-ignited that spark. From there I bought a DH bike, saved up for a year and left the city behind me with an aim of experiencing as much of the world as I could with my bike. I did a summer season in Morzine in the French Alps before moving to Queenstown in NZ for a year. After some time living in Bali (not riding), I then got my Canadian visa and moved over here and haven’t wanted to leave since - I got my PR in December last year so I’m stoked to be able to call Canada home.

Where is your favourite place to ride?



I feel lucky enough to have travelled to so many amazing trails and parts of the world to make this a very difficult question to answer. Chatel in France was insane, so was Queenstown in general - having an incredible bike park, coupled with the Gorge Road dirt jumps and living at the bottom of Wynyard/Dream Track was quite literally the dream. Whistler Bike Park is definitely up there, it might sound cliché but it really is an amazing destination and pretty much every trail is so fun to ride, solo or with a crew. Nelson in BC is also pretty high up on the list. I only sampled a few trails, I can’t wait to get back there. Also shout out to the Spooks locals on the island for creating some of the funnest dirt jumps I’ve ever ridden!

What do you love about biking?



For me, riding is a form of meditation, it is an escape from everything and it forces me to live in the moment. That feeling you get blasting down a trail, linking together lines, feeling the forces on your body, becoming at one with the bike, nothing else in life comes at all close. It is the most free-ing thing I’ve ever experienced and my happiest moments in life have absolutely been whilst on two wheels.

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bigquotesI just want to say a huge thank you to Pinkbike for this opportunity and to everyone who supports me and my work and allows me to live my dream life. I have met some truly amazing humans in the mountain bike world and I feel so grateful to be able to connect with and give back to the industry that has given me so much joy in this way.Tom Bunney

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Any fun plans for the summer?



I just want to ride all three of my bikes as much as possible, and have as much fun as I possibly can, being outside as much as possible! I’ve got a few trips around BC lined up and I’m stoked to check out some new places too. Every day I try to ride something new or get outside my comfort zone in some way, there’s still so many trails locally in Squamish and the Sea to Sky that I’ve yet to ride. Apart from that just getting out there and exploring, adventuring, camping, hiking and going out on my boat (not a luxury yacht, just an inflatable raft, but I love it) as much as possible, and surrounding myself with good people with positive attitudes who are stoked on life!

What makes you happy?


Apart from the obvious… Eating fruit, playing my guitar or space drum and chilling the hell out in nature. Seeing my designs as a physical, wearable, printed product out there in the world after I’ve spent so long finessing them is also the best feeling! Biking stuff - popping a long, fast manual down a trail, leaning off lips into moto whips, pulling back on a set of dirt jumps, linking together fast lines down a challenging section of trail, not crashing…


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Shop the Snake Track collection shop.pinkbike.com


Author Info:
cmcl avatar

Member since May 26, 2010
6 articles

24 Comments
  • 37 5
 Must be a glitch, saw the whole article without subscribing.
  • 31 1
 He made some cool designs for Forbidden. Go buy those shirts from an independent company.
  • 4 0
 Check out his own line “bloodstone” he has some seriously cool designs for those as well
  • 15 0
 Yeah the designs are really cool. Sadly PB's merger with Outside pretty much zeros out my desire to promote or identify with PB.
  • 4 1
 @Drew-O: I was just pulling out some clothes for my ride this evening and saw my trailforks shirt (designed by Tom Bunney) and trailforks socks. I got them both on sale last year but sadly they will not see trails again.
  • 22 2
 __Insert Coins Here__
  • 9 1
 came here for this...
  • 22 4
 Cool design, minus the PB
  • 9 0
 Enjoyed the photos without paying for subscription as of now.
  • 8 0
 cool how they show so many examples of his design and illustration work.
  • 3 0
 There used to be a time only a few weeks ago where if you critecised PB or its products, you were silently removed from the comments '1984' style. Now it seems that you can say anything and there are no consequences. Have the moderators all been fired by outside? Or are they just totally demotivated by their new insect overlords and actually agree with what people are writing?
  • 2 0
 this is cool to see, I started riding with Tom years ago in our local woods where it all began for the both of us on shitty hardtails
  • 6 3
 Oh man, his work is sick! Sucks it's being sold by such a sellout now ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • 4 0
 HAHA sick - I know Mike Giant from his graf days in SF!!!!


\m/
  • 3 0
 Can't afford to get to know him these days. Frown
  • 1 0
 Okay, sadly this confirmed my conspiracy theories that PB has been overtaked by satanic Elite pedophiles ruling fake new age media conglomerates like Outside (0+d(4)+e=666)
  • 2 0
 Ya Tom well deserved!
  • 2 0
 @travis-the-tailor did he do some NF work?
  • 1 0
 @jaydawg69: yep, he did our Dino tees
  • 2 0
 T-Bunnnzzzz! Warra Lad.
  • 2 0
 Yeah Tom !
  • 1 0
 Fellas, anyone know the brand/style of the jeans he is wearing?
  • 3 1
 Gap for ladies I’d say.
  • 1 1
 Bnuuy







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