Meet the team – Jeff Cummins

You on you:
I’m often described as ‘cynical, paranoid and weird’, but I have flaws too. In a previous incarnation I worked as an Illustrator/Visualiser with a global client base. Following a two year stint with a marketing company as graphic designer/coffee maker, I went solo in 1976.

My first client was infamous publishing entrepreneur Felix Dennis, designing ‘cult’ posters for fanzines. Then I produced a series of covers for the original Doctor Who novelisations (Target Books). Soon afterwards I was illustrating album covers for Paul McCartney and other rock luminaries, while also visualising for the rock-design outfit Hipgnosis.

By 1978, I had picked up an award from The Society of Illustrators in New York, for Ted Nugent’s ‘Weekend Warriors’ album cover. (recently featured on the set design of Channel 4′s American TV series ‘One Tree Hill’).

For the next three decades I worked for many of the major ad agencies, design groups, publishers, film and record companies.

I later diverted into developing concepts for children’s TV, but my projects were generally canned in Cannes! (the nearest ‘miss’ being the ‘Octopus’ Garden’ project with Ringo Starr! Don’t ask)! This in turn lead me into character design which proved more viable. Designs include the ‘Faith Girl’ icon for Faith shoes and more recently; the ‘Uly Bug’ identity for DJ Jonathan Ulysses.

What qualities do you bring to Second2?
Experience, skill, diversity, humour and wisdom teeth.

Which project have you been most proud of during your time at Second2?
There are so many my chest aches. I enjoyed working on the Second2 ‘Xmas card’ email. I’m quite proud of that, the Toshiba caricature project and the illustrations for the First Capital website.

Perhaps, due to my ever-expanding waistline and whitening beard, I was destined to become Second2′s Santa representative for Xmas 2009. I was given the opportunity to create the Second2 ‘Xmas card’ email and supply the Toshiba Xmas gift also.

Three things you love:

• Family
• My guitar
• ‘Five-a-side’

Three things you hate:

• Meat
• Celery
• Getting too old and fat to play ‘Five-a-side’

Where would we find you on a typical Saturday afternoon?
Quite often we head into town, grab some veg from Borough Market (no celery!), do a bit of culture; galleries/theatre or the flicks (always matinees), then beer and home. On Sunday morning I play football and spend the rest of the day recovering!