Ben Whitehurst- MA Graphic Design and Art Direction
A Snapshot of my Practice
I am a multidisciplinary designer and photographer with nine years of professional experience, primarily working across brand identity, graphic design and art direction. My practice has always been driven by storytelling, understanding what sits behind an idea, brand, person or experience and finding a visual language that communicates it in a meaningful way.
Studying MA Graphic Design and Art Direction at MMU has encouraged me to look beyond my everyday rhythms, routines and approaches I had developed through professional practice. It has opened my eyes to new possibilities, particularly the value of experimentation, research and allowing a project to develop without always knowing where it will end.
During my time on the course, this broader approach has also created opportunities beyond the MA. My design work was selected for Secret 7” 2025, while my photography was recognised by London Camera Exchange as part of its emerging talent category. More recently, in September 2026, I was commissioned by Christie’s to contribute photography of Johnny Marr to Marr’s Guitars: The Johnny Marr Collection. These experiences have given me greater confidence in bringing together different areas of my creative practice rather than viewing design and photography as separate disciplines.
Narrative continues to sit at the centre of my work. Whether developing a brand identity, photographing a live performance or creating an editorial project, I am interested in people, experiences and the emotions attached to them. Photography has become particularly important within my practice, allowing me to capture fleeting moments and explore how they can continue to hold meaning afterwards.
This thinking has come together in my final Synthesis project, RESONA, which explores the life of cultural experiences after the original moment has passed. Beginning with live music, the project investigates how graphic design and photography can preserve, reinterpret and extend experiences through memory, photography, objects, stories and contemporary ephemera. It has allowed me to bring together my professional design experience and photographic practice while exploring participation, cultural memory and the role design can play in creating meaningful connections between people and their experiences.
Ultimately, my practice is driven by curiosity, people and storytelling. I want to create work that not only looks considered, but has a reason to exist, work that captures something human, creates connection and leaves something behind.
Keep On Keeping On x
