Heath Killen

Part of

The Perch

Heath Killen is a Newcastle based graphic designer, illustrator and blogger.

From a young age Heath was drawn to movie posters and record covers. The combination of typography and illustration and the big ideas behind them still inspire him. These days he has a strong interest in nature, history, jazz and folklore. He likes to think a fragment of all these things seep into his work.

Ultimately Heath’s ambition is to produce illustration and design that makes the world just a little more interesting. Smirnoff, Tooheys, Desktop Magazine, Wallpaper Magazine, and Paramount Pictures are among some of Heath’s clients he has illustrated for.

Name:

Heath Killen

Place of Birth:

Newcastle

Currently Living in:

Melbourne

Train, bus, bike, or other:

Tram

What's the most important object in your studio?

Space!

Paper or Plastic?

Paper, although I highly recommend reading Roland Barthes essay on the subject of plastic. “More than a substance, plastic is the very idea of its infinite transformation; as its everyday name indicates, it is ubiquity made visible. And it is this, in fact. which makes it a miraculous substance: a miracle is always a sudden transformation of nature.”

If you could resurrect one no longer living person to have lunch with, knowing you will have to return them to the grave right after coffee, who would it be?

That’s a really tough one. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t do it for anyone - I like the idea of my deceased heroes maintaining a mythic status in my mind. Of course my six year old self would say Jim Henson without hesitation.

Preferred method of dealing with an encounter with an acquaintance whose name you can't remember.

Pretending that I know exactly who they are.

Why don't you flip the tortoise over, Leon?

Did you know that the name Blade Runner was adopted by Ridley Scott from a film treatment by William S. Burroughs that was based on a novel by Alan E. Nourse called The Bladerunner? #trivia

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Can a woodchuck not chuck wood?

Favourite client so far?

I don’t have a single favourite, but the ones I enjoy working with the most are those that challenge me and are prepared to be challenged by me.

Favourite imaginary client?

I once did a self-directed project for imaginary films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Milos Forman, Melvin Van Peebles, Ingmar Bergman, Dennis Hopper, and Jean Luc Godard. It’s hard to top that!

How does your mother describe your profession?

I’d imagine it’s with a dizzying combination of superlatives and confusion.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee - milky, hot, and strong.

What's your earliest drawing memory?

Probably the indecipherable symbols I drew on the wall behind the fireplace of my childhood home. I’d say there are still faint impressions still there - it turns out that crayon is quite hard to get out of brick.

How do you prefer to spend your mornings?

With my wife and an almond croissant, watching the world go by.