Great new book looks at prominent design figures' current and student selves

There’s a famous Jesuit maxim which says: “Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man” which is all well and good, but I would suggest that it’s our student days that really shape us. With that in mind, this ace new book from Frank Philippin and Billy Kiosoglou of Brighten The Corners is a real eye-opener as it interviews 50 practising designers about their current work and their art school days. With the likes of Margaret Calvert, Ken Garland, Stefan Sagmester and Andy Stevens of Graphic Thought Facility all taking part, alongside younger talents like Daniel Eatock, Jan Wilker and Kirsty Carter of A Practice for Everyday Life, there is a real cross-section of the creative community to compare.

As well as the illuminating interviews, the front of the book is given over to some handy charts which show us the participants’ waking-up times, favourite foods and even weights then and now. A great read for anyone interested in the way creative process works, or needs to know what exercise Andreas Gnass does (badminton and snowboarding). Fittingly, it’s really well designed too…