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• Do you consider yourself to have a trademark style? If so, how would you describe it?
  I work fairly fast and this dictates my style. Hand-drawn line and bold, flat colour allow me to communicate an idea quickly, retaining energy. My work is ‘pop’ and I am naturally drawn to the surreal. I often incorporate pattern and I use bold colours to highlight and add layers visually and conceptually. Humour plays an important role in everything I do.
  
  How would you describe the creative process you go through when you receive a brief? Does it vary?
  It does vary depending upon the job. With editorial work, I read through any material, highlighting key words and passages. I then spend a good few hours on the internet to background read if necessary, and then I search for images. I compile banks of pictures relating to the topics – they are useful if only to identify things that I want to avoid. I’ll also have a set of images that I’ve picked up fairly intuitively, perhaps because of a colour, mood or pattern to which I am drawn. I initially sketch a lot of thumbnails very loosely. It’s then a case of scaling up and refining, getting feedback from art directors, and then working up final images on the computer after scanning and cleaning the images. If there’s a group of images, I like to constantly compare them to make sure that they work as a cohesive collection as well alone.
  
  Generally speaking, how do you come up with your ideas? What inspires you?
  I am constantly collecting books and printed ephemera. I also have a hard drive full of digital files that I have sourced, which I will pull out and reconfigure for jobs. Culture across the board and ages influences me: film, music, fashion, fine art and TV. I use my blog to catalogue a lot of the things I find.
  
  While working on your Therapy Today illustrations, did the ideas develop gradually, or did you know from the outset the direction you were going in?
  Looking back through my sketchbook it’s interesting to see that, although I have explored lots of different avenues, on the whole it’s the initial ideas that I’ve come back to – they are often the strongest in terms of clarity. I try to avoid my work looking too laboured, as it’s important to me that my illustrations have an air of spontaneity and fun, representing a map of a direct connection between brain and paper.
  
  What was your brief for your Therapy Today illustrations?
  The brief was very open, which is a real treat. It’s rare to be given an opportunity to develop a set of images across a publication to such a complete degree.

  In addition to your brief, can you describe what informed/influenced/inspired your Therapy Today illustrations?
  I have recently been looking at a lot of 60s and 70s posters, psychedelia images, op art (a style of visual art which uses optical illusions), the work of graphic designer Kiyoshi Awazu, the off kilter compositions of Philip Guston, and Marimekko textiles.

  Did illustrating these particular subjects throw up any challenges? If so, what were they?
  It was an interesting challenge to avoid any visual clichés relating to therapy. I decided early on that I would concentrate on exploring the internal, evoking dreams rather than reality.
  
  Can you describe in a nutshell what you were trying to convey with each image?
  The cover image depicts a child being caught up in a tie, which relates to dreams that ‘survivors’ report having about escaping. The inside cover story image shows the child being abandoned by his parents – I find the perspective and clashing colours give an uneasy quality. The ‘prison’ image for the article ‘Miscarriages of justice’ shows a figure looking out towards a family member – the empty space between them and the snail at the bottom add narrative detail about the passing of time, longing and isolation. The four figures in the image for the supervision article depict ‘feedback styles’, which directly references the X/Y, A/B comparison in the text. For this illustration, it seemed appropriate to be quite diagramatic and graphic and I liked the idea of therapists talking to therapists and of reflection and self-reflection.
  
  How do you feel about your finished work? What do you like most about your images? Do you have a favourite?
  I am really pleased with all the illustrations. My favourite is the inside front cover ‘schools’ image, as from a design point of view I loved being given the opportunity to play with crops and folds.
  
  Apart from Therapy Today, where else might we see your work?
  You can see a collection of my work on my website (www.jameslambert.co.uk) as well as influences, news and finds on my blog (www.jameslamberts.blogspot.com).

• James Lambert lives and works in London. He studied graphic design at Camberwell College of Art and Communication, and art and design at the Royal College of Art. Visit www.jameslambert.co.uk to see further examples of his work and www.jameslamberts.blogspot.com to read his blog.