John Booth - The Playful Power of Colour in Life and Design

The Sound of Colour

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The Playful Power of Colour in Life and Design

In this episode of "The Sound of Colour”, I chat to artist and designer John Booth. His work is permeated by a vivid colour palette with juxtaposition of tones and pigments, it is at the core of everything that he does. John Booth has a sense of childlike joy in looking and creating, and you can really feel this coming through in his work. He has worked with big brands such as Selfridges, Fendi, Hem and Paul Smith. And his iconic ceramic piece ‘The Head Vase’ broke the internet and started an instagram frenzy.

Artist and designer John Booth joins me in this episode to paint a vibrant picture of how colour has shaped his life and career. Growing up in the 80s with a twin sister and non-gender-conforming fashion choices, John developed a keen eye for bold and creative color combinations. Our conversation gleams with colourful anecdotes of his childhood memories and the evolution of his unique collage technique, offering you a glimpse into how personal history and a playful perspective can create a world of artistic joy.
We discuss the role of social media in shaping design trends and the creative process behind collaborating on colour palettes. We touch on the balance between popular aesthetics and personal taste, as John and I talk about how you design with colours for longevity. And we get to grips with his design process, as we delve into his design project, The Bronto Collection, a tableware collection for Swedish Hem.

Wrapping up this episode with the musical experiment “The Sound of a Colour”, this time composed by musician and sound designer Arbi Alexander that creates the sound of Shiny Yellow.

I could have chatted for hours with John, he is such a warm and generous person, the conversation was witty and insightful and I very much hope you will enjoy it too. Happy listening.

For more color inspiration follow @sarah__gottlieb and this episode's guest @john_booth and the episode's audio oracle www.arbialexander.com

This episode is sponsored by Montana Furniture.
SHOWNOTES
The Bronto collection by Supergroup from Hem.
Check out the magical stationary shop ‘Choosing and Keeping’ in London.
Supergroup, John's collaborative project with Ian McIntyre.

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The Sound of Colour is produced by Sarah Gottlieb, with music by Matt Motte.
The host
Sarah Gottlieb is a Danish Colour Designer and Art Director. She runs her own studio, where she has specialised in Colour Design, Visual Concepts and Spatial Design. Sarah strives to move the boundaries of what colour can do and her goal is to encourage people to embrace more colourful worlds.

To hear more from me

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Capitoli

1. John Booth - The Playful Power of Colour in Life and Design (00:00:00)

2. Where does John's love of colours comes from? (00:02:37)

3. John explores his personal connection with colours (00:09:11)

4. Sound designer and musician Arbi Alexander shares his thoughts on his creative process as he is asked to create the sound of a colour (00:14:43)

5. Are colours not sophisticated? John challenges the notion that bright hues lack depth. (00:19:11)

6. Colour and design influences in homeware - the role of social media in shaping design trends (00:23:14)

7. Get to grips with John's design process, as we delve into his design, The Bronto Collection, a tableware collection for Swedish Hem (00:25:32)

8. How do you design with colours for longevity? (00:32:43)

9. John shares the insights to where he draws his inspiration from (00:37:45)

10. Arbi Alexander has created the sound of shiny yellow (00:43:07)