Lee is a graphic designer, artist and photographer working in and around the overlap of art and design, blending these disciplines to create work for arts, film, fashion, video games and music companies that include Sony, UNIQLO, Nike, Capcom, Sega, EMI, Parlophone, Saatchi, and Artificial Eye.
Over the years, he has written, illustrated, and photographed for Rapha, Paper-Sky, Dazed and Confused, Tokion, Level and designed typefaces for T26 and Fountain fonts. Since 2000 he has exhibited both as a solo artist and collectively in England, Japan, USA, Germany, China and Ireland. His work has featured in numerous books and design journals, including; Creative Review, +81, 200% Cotton, The 3D Type Book, Cutting Edge Illustration, Concrete 2 Canvas and Graphic Britain.
In 2007 he was invited by UNIQLO to their Creative Awards ceremony in Japan where he received a Judges Choice Award and was more recently invited to take part in the Lightning Bolts + Innovation Art Show curated by Nike and debuting at the Beijing Olympics.
Currently based in Tokyo but working globally.
humankind.jp
leebasford.com
Projects
- Nike, Beijing Olympics: Lightning Bolts & InnovationI was originally asked by to take part in an exhibition curated by Nike, celebrating BMX making it to the Olympics for the first time in history with a selection of artists who share the common bond of BMX as an early inspiration. Nike collaborated with Bob Haro on the uniforms for the riders, but also in the canvas for the show which was one of Haro's original lightning bolt number-plates. The show opened in Beijing for the Olympic games, was part of the Beautiful Losers exhibition in Tokyo an
- Hobson's Choice, Birmingham Royal BalletDesign for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, as part of their Pointe Blank series. Using watercolours to produce a completely typographic design, taking selected lines from the unique dialogue to create a visual interpretation of the story without using traditional imagery.
- Rapha RIDES TokyoRapha RIDES Tokyo, Osaka, Kyushu. Working together with the team in London and Tokyo we produced a selection of work for the 3 day events in both English and Japanese. Along with co-direction of the films and Clubhouse VM my role involved photography, writing, design and direction for all print and digital in Japan.
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Projects credited in
- rapha interactive windowinteractive window display for rapha shop in London and Tokyo3
- Mondial MagazineFeaturing incisive writing and stunning photography, Mondial expands the idea of what road cycling is and what the sport can be.13
Work history
Art Director, Photographer, Designer, WriterRapha
- Tokyo, JapanFull Time
G
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Designer, Creative DirectionGas as Interface
- Tokyo, JapanPart Time
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Skills
- Visual Arts
- Print Design
- Art Direction
- Photojournalism
- Picture Editing
- Sculpture
- Fine Art
- Multi-media Artist
- Design
- Documentary
- Editorial
- Illustrator
- Indesign
- Photoshop
- Lightroom
- Collage
- Collage Photoshop
Education
B
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Visual CommunicationBirmingham Institute of Art & Design
- Gosta Green, Birmingham B7 4BG, UK
Visual CommunicationCentral Saint Martins (UAL)
- London, United Kingdom
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