As prime mover in the design company Value and Service, Sean Murphy serves as a key element in London’s vibrant design scene.

Murphy and Value and Service prove versatile in their many innovative projects, putting their mark on everything from books to fashion to branding: recent V&S projects include everything from a history of the Saatchi Gallery to Selfridges’ window display, a particularly Duchampian set of DJ slipmats (see below)
—and of course, K-Swiss’ “You Gotta Know Your Classics” poster campaign.

In particular, Murphy and V&S were responsible for the witty “K for Kalifornia” deconstruction of the K-Swiss logo. We spoke to Sean about what moves him as a designer, and how he got involved with “You Gotta Know Your Classics.”

KSPACE: Where are you located? How does your home base influence your sensibility?
Sean Murphy: I’m located in East London: lots happens there so you soak it up a little. In terms of influence, it makes me want to avoid doing certain things, if that makes sense… Location is generally less important for work nowadays, but it’s always good to be around lots of interesting things.

Selfridges window display

KSPACE: How did you start designing? What inspired you?
Sean Murphy: I used to copy logos when I was a kid, so I suppose that was my introduction to a life in design.

KSPACE:  What do you think you bring to the design process? If you had to explain your aesthetic to your grandmother (or mine), how would you do it?

Sean Murphy: “Familiar but odd” is how I would describe our work—sort of old, but new.

Anti-slipmats for 'A Nice Set'

KSPACE: What are your “classic” influences? What makes a design classic and truly timeless?
Sean Murphy: I think “supernormal” is a good mantra if you want to design a classic object. A true classic is something I would buy and never pass on, something that moves with the times.

History of the Saatchi Gallery - Book in inlaid wooden crate

KSPACE:  How did you get involved with this K-Swiss initiative ? What were you trying to say about the Classic’s history with your contribution?
Sean Murphy: I got an email inviting me to participate.  The story we were assigned was pretty concise, so we reflected that in the design. It pretty much tells the story of how Switzerland became “Kalifornian.”

KSPACE:  Lastly, if you could be the all-mighty design guru for humanity, what would you change and instigate globally to make the world a better place?
Sean Murphy: Cheap and efficient public transport.

Le Rendez-vous Toyota, Paris exhibition

For more on the works of Value and Service click here

For the full Gallery of the 8 ‘You Gotta Know Your Classics’ designs click here