Daniel Eatock Interview

We caught up with Daniel Eatock a few months ago to discuss his work and career so far…

Where and when did you first realize your talent for graphics and photography?

In primary school I was the best at drawing. My teacher, Mr. Bencley, called me Little Picasso, and I won all the drawing competitions and spent a lot of time making pictures. At high school, I was second best. Daniel Forster was much better. He could draw intuitively. I remember watching him draw from a plaster cast replica of Michelangelo’s David and later, during a vacation we took together in the south of France, I saw him make amazing pen drawings on the beach.

I am competitive, and since I knew I could not compete with Dan’s drawing ability, I understood that to be happy, I had to invent a creative way around the problem of making things look beautiful. So while Dan was drawing perfect renderings of the beach, I drew two straight lines on a page, dividing it into thirds. I wrote “sky” in the top third, “sea” in the second, and “sand” in the bottom third.

I realized in that instance that the craft and skill of drawing can be overcome with an idea. This simple realization has changed the way I approach almost everything I make. If something does not come naturally, I search out an alternative way to respond to the problem. There is a memorable scene in an Indiana Jones film: a skilled warrior wields two huge gleaming swords, elaborately swinging them around in circles, threatening to kill Indiana Jones. After this public display, Jones simply draws his gun, shoots him, and runs.

Where do you gather your inspiration for each BB eye?

Originally I came up with a logo based on the simplified image of an eye that is camouflaged within a field of lines, which are derived from the horizontal interlacing lines of a television. Concealing the eye resulted in an identity that is staring back at the viewer, creating an optical sensation that affects the viewer’s gaze. This manipulation echoes the main ethos of the show and reflects its Orwellian sense of concealment, typified by the surveillance cameras distributed around the Big Brother house.

Subsequent eyes reflect and suggest the editorial direction of each years show.

How much control did you have over each eye design? Did Channel 4 give you a rough brief or was it solely down to you?

They are collaborative. Channel 4 worked with Endemol in distilling the essence of that years show, I then reflected that in the logo.

What, if any, other eye design would you love to do if you could?

The next one for Channel 5.

Which is your personal favorite eye?

The first one I created. (black and white lines)

Which eye did you most enjoy to design?

The first.

Are you a fan of Big Brother as a show and concept?

Concept

If you could re-design the logo for any TV show, what would it be?

BBC News at Ten

Which piece of work are you most proud of?

Indexhibit & Imprint (my book published by Princeton Architectural Press)

And finally, Do you have any exciting work planned for the future?

Indexhibit 2

A second book

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