After playing a big part in Footpatrol’s history, Mark Ward has returned to team up with them once more—and create a series of illustrations based around the launch of the Air Max 90 Viotech.
For those that may not know you, please can you introduce yourself and your work?
"My name is Mark Ward and I’m a graphic artist based in London. My work is known for being bold and colourful, which is something that just naturally happens in my process. My work ranges from illustration to typography to 3D sculptures. I’ve been focusing on animation of late."
Your connection with Footpatrol goes way back, right?
"I was fortunate to work for Gimme Five that owned Footpatrol at the time. I was the in-house graphics guy so I was involved in numerous projects back then, from t-shirts to collaboration projects.I was lucky enough to help design the Footpatrol Epic while I was still at university."
Where did your passion for street culture originate?
"I’ve always been interested in these things that are now defined as ‘street culture’. As a kid I loved cartoons and cereal boxes and was instantly attracted to skateboarding and BMX with the colours and the logos."
"Visual things always fed my curiosity, and then there was Jordan and the Dream Team Olympics in 1992. I was 11 when that happened and I thought it was the most amazing thing ever. I was never any good at basketball but I loved all the imagery surrounding it. It felt so exotic in comparison to the British sports we had here, like football.Now all these things have been connected together as street culture, but for me it was just a natural attraction."
Does your distinctly bold, playful style come from childhood memories?
"I like to have fun with my work, and if you can make somebody smile then there is a positive connection made with the work, which is childlike in itself.I approach each project differently, but I like to have a concept and then execute that concept in my ownstyle."
"My visual style is reminiscent of my childhood in a way. Over the years all the things that have caught my interest—from cartoons to sweet wrappers and basketball uniforms—have melded together in my head and that’s what comes out on the page. I’d like to replicate that feeling that you got when found the 'free inside' toy in a box of cereal with my work."
What does the Nike Air Max 90 mean to you?
"It’s an all-time classic Nike silhouette. I’ve had numerous pairs. There is something very visually satisfying about the contrast between the air bubble and the horizontal lines on the sole unit surrounding the window. I’m really excited to see what’s coming next as we approach the anniversary next year."
Where did your idea process for your latest work with Footpatrol and the Air Max 90 Viotech come from?
"As a graphic artist you want your work to communicate with people. The message I wanted to communicate with Viotech was the Japanese backstory and the crazy colourways. I wanted to wrap it up in a digestible and truthful manner, so that’s why I ended up creating magazine covers."
"When the original Viotech colourways were released in Japan back in 2001, I was working at the Bathing Ape Store in London. Looking at the Viotech colours reminded me of the Japanese fashion magazines that I read on my lunch break. They were so visually intense—I couldn't read the text but the visuals were insane.I liked the fact that I was relying solely on the visual as it adds some mystery and madness to the images. So, I recreated my own magazine covers using the Viotech as the starting point and had some fun."
