Biography
Having worked in the advertising, marketing, photography, and allied creative design industries since 1984, Barry Downard's business is based on providing creative visual solutions and concepts (photography, illustrator, artwork and design) to advertising & design agencies, and publishers.
Trained as an interior designer, Barry designed houses, shop interiors, exhibition stands and fashion shows, played drums and worked as an art director before drifting into fashion and advertising photography. Exposure to all these varied creative disciplines provides for excellent background knowledge informing the love of detail required when constructing his illustrations.
In 1993, Barry became inspired by the story-telling possibilities of digitally manipulating his photographs, and developed a style of photo-illustration. Subsequently, he has broadened his skill set to include cgi modelling and rendering. Although Barry’s style is generally photo-real and surreal, he has a broad and diverse range of influences, including Klimt, Robert Longo, Michael Sowa, Gary Larson, Greg Crewdson, Arthur Rackham, Ernst Haegel, and Lane Smith, to name just a few.
Barry's technique consists of taking lots of photographs (shot by himself, supplied by client, or stock images), or cgi renders, and throwing them into a Picto-Snaffle-Matic machine, stirring it up with a generous dose of fun, and sticking it all together with computer glue.
Barry has had 3 illustrated children’s books published (Simon & Schuster, NY and Milk & Cookies Press, NY), and has worked with major ad agencies from Moscow to Los Angeles, as well as numerous publishing clients (both magazines and books).
He has had solo exhibitions of his work, at Soho House Club (London), and several South African art galleries. He won a gold and a silver “RX Club Award” (New York) for work done for Glaxo Smith Kline (Paling Walters), and has won a prestigious South African “Loerie Award” for Photography Craft, as well as 6 Natal Newspapers “Silver Quill” awards for Photography Craft, and he won the South African section of the 2001 Hasselblad International Competition.
Clients: BMW-Mini (UK), Pringles (USA), Budweiser (UK), Orangina (A.G. Barr) UK, BDH (Manchester), Ogilvy (South Africa, Moscow and UK), Old Navy (USA), Danone (USA), Skoda (Germany, Blumberry (Berlin), Microsoft (UK), Nestle/Nescafe (UK), Billington Cartmell (UK), Planters (Kraft Foods) USA, Mercedes Truck Division (UK), QBO BellPottinger (UK), SAAB (UK), Vauxhall (UK), Carlsberg (UK), Ola (Unilever SA), SONY Playstation, TBWA (London), Glaxo Smith Kline, Paling Walters Targis, Simon & Schuster (New York), Mens Fitness UK, The Knowledge (The Times), The Economist, Hodder (UK), Arizona Opera, Cleveland Opera, De Beers, Durex (SA), Jupiter Drawing Room (SA), Scholastic Books (Omnibus Australia), Sun International, Nike (SA), and Yamaha (SA), amongst others.
Barry is passionate about animal welfare and biodiversity conservation concerns, and a percentage of proceeds of sales from all he does is donated to animal welfare.
Trained as an interior designer, Barry designed houses, shop interiors, exhibition stands and fashion shows, played drums and worked as an art director before drifting into fashion and advertising photography. Exposure to all these varied creative disciplines provides for excellent background knowledge informing the love of detail required when constructing his illustrations.
In 1993, Barry became inspired by the story-telling possibilities of digitally manipulating his photographs, and developed a style of photo-illustration. Subsequently, he has broadened his skill set to include cgi modelling and rendering. Although Barry’s style is generally photo-real and surreal, he has a broad and diverse range of influences, including Klimt, Robert Longo, Michael Sowa, Gary Larson, Greg Crewdson, Arthur Rackham, Ernst Haegel, and Lane Smith, to name just a few.
Barry's technique consists of taking lots of photographs (shot by himself, supplied by client, or stock images), or cgi renders, and throwing them into a Picto-Snaffle-Matic machine, stirring it up with a generous dose of fun, and sticking it all together with computer glue.
Barry has had 3 illustrated children’s books published (Simon & Schuster, NY and Milk & Cookies Press, NY), and has worked with major ad agencies from Moscow to Los Angeles, as well as numerous publishing clients (both magazines and books).
He has had solo exhibitions of his work, at Soho House Club (London), and several South African art galleries. He won a gold and a silver “RX Club Award” (New York) for work done for Glaxo Smith Kline (Paling Walters), and has won a prestigious South African “Loerie Award” for Photography Craft, as well as 6 Natal Newspapers “Silver Quill” awards for Photography Craft, and he won the South African section of the 2001 Hasselblad International Competition.
Clients: BMW-Mini (UK), Pringles (USA), Budweiser (UK), Orangina (A.G. Barr) UK, BDH (Manchester), Ogilvy (South Africa, Moscow and UK), Old Navy (USA), Danone (USA), Skoda (Germany, Blumberry (Berlin), Microsoft (UK), Nestle/Nescafe (UK), Billington Cartmell (UK), Planters (Kraft Foods) USA, Mercedes Truck Division (UK), QBO BellPottinger (UK), SAAB (UK), Vauxhall (UK), Carlsberg (UK), Ola (Unilever SA), SONY Playstation, TBWA (London), Glaxo Smith Kline, Paling Walters Targis, Simon & Schuster (New York), Mens Fitness UK, The Knowledge (The Times), The Economist, Hodder (UK), Arizona Opera, Cleveland Opera, De Beers, Durex (SA), Jupiter Drawing Room (SA), Scholastic Books (Omnibus Australia), Sun International, Nike (SA), and Yamaha (SA), amongst others.
Barry is passionate about animal welfare and biodiversity conservation concerns, and a percentage of proceeds of sales from all he does is donated to animal welfare.
