Art
Words by Will Bentley-Hawkins
Art by George Hatton
Graphic designer George Hatton enjoys soaking up cultures other than his own. Before landing beachside in Sydney, he’d spent time living in New York City, Copenhagen and Biarritz–all far cries from the small town of St Ives in Cornwall (UK) where he grew up.
As a kid, George was a perfectionist.
“I loved things being precise and in order so when I first came across design at school it felt like a natural progression.”
After studying graphic design through high school it was a move to the University of Brighton where an infatuation for typography and composition was born. Most notably in books, visual identities and printed material.
Compellingly, George believes his dyslexia has a lot to do with his passion for lettering and word architecture.
“I like to look and play with words as shapes to create interesting compositions–whether it’s posters, books and so on.”
George’s creations pop. There’s a freshness to his output that feels like a garden hose aimed at you on a scorching summer day. The typographical explorations are bold and clean, leaving an indelible impression on both the page and the mind.
Recently, George crafted a cookbook for established chef Joel Bennetts (Food by Joel Bennetts) and worked meticulously on piecing Chris Grundy and Deus Ex Machina’s photo book together, The Long Road to Grajagan Bay. Across 136 pages of stills with sprinkles of poetic memories from Beau Foster the book documents an epic journey through Indonesia to the untouched surfbreaks of Grajagan Bay, Indonesia.
George looks back on both these projects fondly, remembering the creative freedom he was allowed. “Both clients were great to work with, they really trusted me.”
Right now, George is sinking his teeth into a commission from the Art Gallery of New South Wales bringing to life the visual identity for Sydney Tank Night 1–the Gallery’s Gala Party happening in 2024. The campaign identity spans multiple touchpoints including motion, digital, print and web design.
As a typography-based designer, the devil is in the detail, it’s a practice of micrometres. Think of the perfect curvature on the letter ‘y’ or brainstorming the right serif to embody a brand’s identity. George admits the artistry is tough to hone and it’s certainly not something that can be learnt overnight but there’s beauty in the challenge.
“I was super lucky to study Graphic Design at The University of Brighton. It was a great balance of learning so many technical skills paired with super conceptual and loose briefs–allowing us to be experimental and open-minded.”
From here, George launched into studio land, snaring a job at the revered 2×4, a global design consultancy in NYC followed by Studio Claus Due in Copenhagen. It was here that he gained the great confidence and prowess in his artistry to one day go out on his own.
Since then, he’s never really looked back. George now leans into creativity uninhibited and on his own terms.
“Creating feels so different to anything else I do…working on a book for example is such a process from start to finish–it’s something I find so rewarding.”
Studying a collection of George’s output, you can tell the ultra-considered decision-making involved in each asset. Don’t let the minimalist nature of his work fool you, this stuff is meticulous.
Excitingly, the Bronte local is soon to launch his own design studio, Studio Thomas Hatton. An avenue that will open him up to an array of new work and clients. When asked about his client wishlist George says it’s more about people and their vision who make up the client.
“It’s about the people, those who are ethically and stylistically aligned but also keen to push the boundaries with creative and innovative design.”
Cheekily jumping back to his wishlist, George mentions it’d be a joy to work with the likes of Nike, Helmut Lang, Phaidon Publishers, Patagonia, Satisfy and galleries and museums such as The Whitney, MoMA and Tate.
Keep pushing this kind of material George and dreams may soon become reality.
Explore more of his work via his website and socials beneath.
Loves Dance, Film Photography, Ocean Pools, The NY Knicks & Campari Sodas.