Faces in the Crowd - Interview Series Part 3

Crowdsourcing’s Graphics Wizard of Oz

Meet Australia’s Russell Tate — best-selling illustrator and graphic designer

Interviewed By Shazz Mack

What do NASA astronauts have in common with the 1980’s UK pop group Culture Club?

Why, Russell Tate, of course! His graphic design work and illustrations have been featured on the record covers of Boy George’s band as well as NASA’s communications materials – not to mention his work for McDonald’s, Nokia, Mambo, Fox Studios and many other companies around the globe. How did a British graphic designer make his way from the urban London of Malcolm McLaren’s glory days to the idyllic Sydney, Australia beach suburb of Clovelly and, along the way, become a global talent in the crowdsourcing movement? Russell Tate explains that his laid-back attitude, healthy curiosity about the world around him, and willingness to try new things have been at the root of an interesting and diverse career. With almost 33,000 downloads of his royalty-free digital images in 16 months, Russell Tate is emerging as a “stock star” of crowdsourced illustration and design.

Interview After the Jump ...