Thomas Pool: What can you tell us about your practice? How did you come to be an illustrator and graphic designer, and what motivates your work?
Stephen Heffernan: Becoming an illustrator was almost an accident. I was studying web design in college, and realised that I hated programming. I didn’t really have the concentration for it, but I really liked the design aspect. I never really knew that design could be a job. When I was a teenager, I was very into graffiti and cartoony and comic-style drawing. A friend from school had shown me this magazine of graffiti across trains in Europe; it was the coolest thing I had ever seen at the time. I had always thought of the art world as being an art teacher or a landscape painter, so it really opened my mind to the possibilities. I guess I was also really into illustration, but I didn’t know that it could be a profession. In college I saw the documentary Beautiful Losers (2008) and I thought to myself “yeah, this is exactly what I want to do, 100%.” And that’s how I decided to turn drawing for fun into a job.
The ability to have fun with my work is really what has kept me motivated. It’s never seemed like a slog, even when working on big jobs with stressful deadlines. I try to keep a 50/50 balance with my personal work and paid work as much as possible. I try not to do too many collaborations and stuff with brands because while it can be worthwhile, there’s also the risk of trying to do too many things at once and then everything you’re doing seems a bit less valuable.
TP: Your work is uniquely Irish. You’ve garnered a massive audience, both in Ireland and around the world, with your distinctly Irish cultural icons, from chicken fillet rolls to Claddagh rings to Tayto crisps, and perhaps the most iconic of all – The Pint. How do you see your work in dialogue with Irish culture and society, especially with Irish art, literature, and film having such a moment on the world stage?
SH: I think it’s a great thing that Irish culture is becoming such a big thing in the world, because I know when I was growing up, anything to do with Ireland always seemed a little bit lame. Everyone then seemed to be looking at America, the UK and Europe for what was cool; even in music, you’d hear Irish singers putting on American accents. It’s nice to be able to celebrate Irish culture nowadays; there’s a proudness that wasn’t there even 10 or 15 years ago. We’ve always had this amazing culture in Ireland for art and music, and it’s just nice that people are happy to export it around the world now, in a way that isn’t about twee shamrocks and crap Irish bars. I recently moved back to Dublin, having lived in London for the last three years, and being over there has actually made my work be so much more inspired by Ireland. I felt really proud to be Irish when doing commissioned work or exhibitions.
Stephen Heffernan, Custom Guinness glass design for The Irish Exit bar in New York, 2024; image courtesy of the artist.
TP: Your work as an illustrator and graphic designer has led to the creation of many unique items of clothing, such as t-shirts and hats, as well as cards, tattoo flashes, tote bags, and an illustrated book, A Compendium of Irish Pints (2024). How do you view the intersection of craft and illustration?
SH: I think they go hand in hand; they’re just different mediums. I have a graffiti and DIY background, and had to figure out how to do something easily for little to no money. So, I learned without any sort of limitations. Working on clothes, hats, and books, I learned on the job or by watching YouTube videos. I see the arts as a kind of holistic world, and I really like being able to dip in and out of different mediums, like working on tattoo flashes, or a line of clothes, or editorial work. You make a brief for yourself and follow it through to make things that people will want to wear or display.
TP: You’ve worked with many national and international clients, such as Aer Lingus, Jameson, the Dead Rabbit Pub in NYC, and, of course, Guinness. As many other companies start to use AI for cheaper marketing alternatives, how are you viewing the future of commissioned design and illustration?
SH: I’d be lying if I said that I don’t worry about AI. There will always be an easier, cheaper version of anything that anyone does. In theory, you can use AI to get a decent enough product on the cheap, but it won’t have the status that an artist would give you. It’s the difference between going to a nice restaurant or ordering fast food. My hope is for AI to become a tool as opposed to a career-destroying machine. When Photoshop came out, a lot of designers thought they were going to be out of a job, since making fonts and editing visuals was suddenly just a drop-down menu. Prior to that, you had to open up a book of fonts and take them down letter by letter. I think that tools change, but the human process of curating and coming up with ideas cannot be replaced.
TP: What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects you’d like to share with us?
SH: I just moved back to Dublin from London, and my wife and I are expecting a baby. So, to be honest, I haven’t really made big plans for the next while. I realised during the pandemic that my work can be done anywhere. It was great living in London, getting to meet and connect face to face with clients and gallerists, but it doesn’t really matter where I work from. I do have a good bit of work coming down the line from an American company. But I’m settling back into life in Ireland; I’m exciting to get back into working in Dublin and I want to put on an exhibition here soon. I put on a show in Camden last year, and it helped with a lot of fear I had around exhibiting. I want to focus a lot more on personal work and projects. I worked in an agency for years and went fully freelance about a year and half ago. I became very conscious of the fact that I needed to not just focus on personal projects and make sure I was getting paid every month, which in turn has led me to overwork a bit and neglect the personal side. So, I’m determined to get as much personal work out there as possible.
Stephen Heffernan is an artist and illustrator based in Dublin.
