Mark Harris’ photo collage editorial illustrations act against the rigidity of graphic design

“I see my work currently as photo-collage meets editorial illustration,” Mark Harris says, whose distinctive style of image crafting, mark making, and texture has been utilised by the likes of The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, New York Magazine and Pentagram – to name but a few. Mark’s road to his signature style, however, is as assorted and eclectic as the work itself. He began his career as a graphic designer at a clothes company in Miami before moving to a creative agency in Philadelphia, later leaving in 2018 to persue collage work.

Mark’s always loved seismic, stylish creative movements – such as Constructivism, Dadaism and the Bauhaus – and also turns to artists like Emory Douglas and Lorna Simpson for inspiration. “I think the underlying theme between all of the pieces I am drawn to is a handmade quality that results in an element of imperfection,” he says. This pursuit of imperfection is a way of acting in defiance of the strict design work he’s done previously. “It is a clear contrast from working at an agency with rigid brand guidelines, and executives that are scared to do anything differently,” he says.

There is a confidence in Mark’s practice that seems defiant of expected contemporary design aesthetics and, indeed, an observational eye that’s hyper-fixated on detail, tone and texture. “Even though I consider myself an introvert,” Mark says, “I also find inspiration from spending time in public spaces.” He gets inspiration from the variety of clothing and characters he sees, as well as the contrast between figures. “I love seeing younger people wearing a collection of different clothing or graphic items, fighting against the more refined, quiet, and serious clothing of older folks,” he says. This tension is apparent in the striking conflicting mediums throughout Mark’s collages. “Whenever possible, I love adding pieces of handmade treatments to my work,” he says, be it rips, added paper layers or hand-rendered lines. “It reminds people that the image is human-made without overcomplicating the image,” Mark ends.