What is your nickname?
‘Tel’, that’s the one that you can print, the ‘nicknames’ that the estimators call me can’t be printed
Why did you get into printing?
Unlike previous roles I’d had, this felt like I was part of the manufacturing process and there was something beautiful to show at the end of it. I’m passionate about beautiful design and a self-confessed print geek
What would be your dream job?
Quality control at a vineyard in Italy, or any job at the Rothaus Brewery, out at the southern end of the Black Forest. I was there in the summer and when the bell goes for break time they all have these tokens for beer...
Who would play you in a movie about your life?
Am I allowed a cartoon character? If yes, Yosemite Sam!
What is your dream bit of kit?
I am ever so slightly obsessed with foiling, as anyone I work with will tell you. If I don’t spec foiling into a job then Client Services question whether I’ve missed something off the order
What would you most like to print?
I won my first job for my dream client only several weeks ago, but I can’t say who, so I’ll say VitraHaus over in Weil am Rhein, Germany. I go there on my design pilgrimage every Christmas
What is your favourite film?
Quadrophenia
What is your favourite TV programme?
Suits, or anything with Kevin McCloud and the word ‘Designs’ in the title
Who or what do you hate the most?
The Smiths – waste of a perfectly good guitarist
Who do you admire most in the industry?
Benny Landa, grandfather of digital print, without whom we’d have no HP Indigo and where would we be without those?
What is your favourite phrase or saying?
‘Boooooooooooom!’ Just ask my colleagues, it’s pretty much every second word out of my mouth
What is your favourite album?
Impossible to answer
What is your greatest luxury in life?
Travel
What is the strangest job you’ve ever done?
I work in print, every day is strange. No two days the same. Almost daily I end up thinking, if it wasn’t for being in print, I’d never have been into this place!
Who would you like to be stuck on a desert island with?
Aldous Huxley. I grew up with his books in my rucksack or in the toolbox of my Lambretta. I could listen to his stories day in, day out
What is your greatest ambition?
To keep on being this annoyingly upbeat and happy
What’s your greatest fear?
PowerPoint
Who or what makes you laugh?
People who laugh without inhibition
What piece of kit would you like to see invented?
A salesman-proof mobile phone, I’m sure NASA must’ve developed some pretty indestructible materials by now
