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A vinyl record and its cover for the album “Boyazooga”. The artwork features a row of figures seen from behind, holding up circular rings against a dark background. Bold text at the top reads “Boyazooga” and “(One) (Two) (Kung Fu)”, with corresponding Chinese characters below.

New work from the ever-prolific graphic designer Ben Arfur

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Date
26 March 2018

“Lately my approach is more instinctive rather than tactful,” Welsh graphic designer Ben Arfur tells It’s Nice That. “I’d like to say it’s matured…”

Ever prolific in his design output full of record sleeves and posters, it’s evident that music clients are popping into Ben’s inbox consistently. However due to often working for different record labels but all under the umbrella of music design, his clients “move in similar circles, so it’s essential to keep things fresh,” the designer explains. “I’m forever altering my workflow and experimenting with bits; some of which stay with me, some don’t. I’m continuously trying to expand and incorporate all aspects of design into my work and experiment with the ways in which they can be merged.”

As a result, Ben’s work crosses disciplines under his signature style. Some pieces utilise illustration, others push a photograph by digitally altering it, but either way, they are housed in a layout that displays Ben’s contemporary capabilities as a designer, particularly in his use of typography. Each of these elements is brought together in a practice which leans towards: “incorporating a sense of environment to my work,” he says. “I tend to draw on past experiences, sound or even those vague dream recollections — it’s really interesting to see how these can be utilised and develop.” One of our favourite characteristics about Ben is how he’s self-taught, carving his own path into graphic design and a path he recently spoke to Lecture in Progress about here.

Recently moving to London from Wales, Ben is working a designer and is “adamant to work on more collaborative projects,” he explains. The designer is also about to launch an exciting new project titled clubclubclubclub, so keep your eyes peeled for even more work from the designer.

A large, glowing red neon sign with Japanese characters wraps around the corner of a building. The bright red light contrasts against a dark, grainy purple sky.
Above

Ben Arfur

A yellow and black poster for a New Year’s Eve event reads “nye”. Two rounded figures with sunglasses and crossed arms stand before a large clock and a brick wall. One wears a hat with “Tessellate” on the sleeve, and the other wears a cap reading “Bade Records”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A pink and black graphic poster for “Salt Mines” featuring a high-contrast image of a mine headframe. The text “7 Jan” and the “Radar Radio” logo appear on either side of the central title. A list of performers at the bottom includes “Rudolph C”, “Shedbug” and “Roza Terenzi”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A blue poster for an event titled “off kilter”. It features a distorted image of a grand piano on a red stage within a large hall. Below the title, a line-up includes Richard Dawson, Kelly Lee Owens and others. The event takes place on “Sat 7 October” at “RWCMD”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A graphic poster divided into four quadrants of pink, black, red and blue. The top left reads “NYE” in bold black type, while the top right lists a line-up of DJs including “Mor Elian” and “Dave Little”. The bottom half features a series of red and black geometric blocks arranged like a staircase. Small text in the black quadrant reads “NYE, DEC 31ST” at “The Carpet Club, High St”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A 3D render of two metallic, chrome-like hands reaching towards each other against a black background. A bold purple header reads “Fina” with “and friends” written in smaller text below. The bottom of the poster lists a date of “31 - 3 - 18” and a line-up including “Jad & The Fina / Toy Tonics”, “Simon Morell”, “Jcub” and “Tristan Kelly”. It also lists the venue as “212 Bar Leeds LS10 1NE” with “free entry” below.
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Ben Arfur

An album cover featuring a person wearing a white T-shirt and red sunglasses, with their hand blurred in the foreground. The image is framed by a white chain-link fence over an orange background, with the words “mavi” and “phoenix” in bold black typography.
Above

Ben Arfur

A bold typographic poster reads “ALL NIGHT LONG” above a geometric illustration of a face. The face is composed of bright pink, yellow, and blue shapes with two stylized eyes and red lips. Text at the top reads “FRIDAY 29TH DECEMBER”. The bottom lists “WITH BLUE HONEY”, “THE CARPET CLUB” and “HIGH STREET”.
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Ben Arfur

A yellow and black typographic poster for “Dixon Avenue Basement Jams”. It lists a line-up of DJs including “Jackmaster”, “Optimo”, “Dennis Sulta”, “Jasper James”, “Eclair Fifi”, “Harri & Domenic”, “Spencer”, “Big Miz”, “Solid Blake”, “Bake”, “Sofay”, “Ribeika” and “Natalie”. The bottom right corner lists the date “27 Jan 2018” and the venue “Motion - Bristol”.
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Ben Arfur

A graphic cover featuring the word “massif” in bold red lowercase type against a black background. Below the text, a grainy image shows a red landscape under a swirling green and purple sky.
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Ben Arfur

A graphic poster for a music event featuring a black slinky spring against a bright blue background. Text at the top reads “ALL NIGHT LONG WITH JACK PRIEST”, while the bottom sections list the venue “HORSE & GROOM”, the date “17 FEB”, and the brand “GOOD SOUND”.
A magazine cover with a black background and the word “hippo” in large white lowercase type. A blue silhouette of a head is filled with several glossy orange spheres of varying sizes.
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Ben Arfur

A magazine cover featuring the red wordmark “equals” at the top. Below, text reads “AN ALTERNATIVE SYNOPSIS ON THE PLAY WITH TWO HALVES”. A photograph shows a person from behind, walking down a narrow alleyway. The date “1949” is printed at the bottom.
Above

Ben Arfur

An album cover for Darkhouse Family titled “The Offering”. It features black and white portraits of two people against a pale yellow background.
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Ben Arfur

A bold geometric poster with a white header that reads “loose thread”. The design uses blocks of red, blue, yellow and black, featuring a central white triangle and a red semi-circle. Text on the left lists the date “19 03 18” and a line-up including “Atten”, “Lyer”, “Jess Cohen”, “Sholto” and “Sneaky Petes”. Small text at the bottom reads “£3 Before 12”.
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Ben Arfur

A bold yellow poster for “Club Hiatus” features a blue profile of a person’s head. A cluster of red flowers grows from the top of the head, replacing the brain. The names “Jack Priest”, “Wolf + Lamb” and “Estrah” appear around the central figure. At the bottom, a logo for “The Horse & Groom” is shown alongside a postcode.
Above

Ben Arfur

A graphic poster for a radio show featuring a central image of sharp, black abstract shapes against a red and orange cloudy sky. Bold text at the top reads “cloud 9”, with “femi” and “radarradio.com” at the bottom. The sides include the name “woesum” and the date “22.2” with the times “23:00” and “00:00”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A bold typographic poster for an event titled “Awesome Tapes From Africa”. A central image shows a sharp, red sand dune against a bright blue sky. Below the image, a line-up lists “Darkhouse Family”, “Esther”, “Rotary Club” and “Blue Honey”. The event is dated “1-4-18 Easter Sunday” and takes place from “15:00 – 02:00”.
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Ben Arfur

A graphic poster with a black background and a red geometric tunnel in the centre. Bold white text on the left reads “alleviate” and on the right “yamaneko”, alongside a Radar Radio logo and the text “7am – 8am BST every sunday”.
Above

Ben Arfur

A poster for a music event featuring the word “WAAJU” in large, yellow lettering at the top. Below, text reads “west african infused jazz”, “21 apr”, “gwdihw” and “6/4 pound adv 9pm – late”. Two colourful panels show a silhouette of a person walking across a landscape shaped like piano keys. The left panel is purple with a red sun, and the right is pink with a yellow sun.
Above

Ben Arfur

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

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Lucy (she/her) was part of the It’s Nice That team from 2016–2025, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication, eventually becoming a senior editor on our editorial team, and most recently at Insights, a research-driven department with It’s Nice That.

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