The Change Makers (Pt.3) - Rick Hyde

On the front of our Oldham Street shop, Rick Hyde has given Manchester one very colourful hello. It’s packed with characters, psychedelic colour and little local winks: the kind of strange, joyful world Rick has been drawing since he was a kid.

Comics, cartoons and a lot of drawing

Rick grew up in Timperley, Greater Manchester, and started drawing early.

 

“Growing up, I was obsessed with comics and cartoons, spending hours drawing on stacks of perforated listing paper my dad brought home from work.”

 

That love of bold colour and wonderfully odd characters never left.

 

“My work is inspired by artists like Mike Strouth, John Astrop and Eric Hill from the pop-psychedelia era of the late 60s and early 70s, and surreal cartoons from my childhood, like Jamie and the Magic Torch and Willo the Wisp.”

The work between the work

Music took that love of psychedelia even further. Through his 20s and 30s, Rick played in bands and DJ’d, including a band inspired by the psychedelic and garage rock of the late 60s: think The 13th Floor Elevators, Count Five and The Seeds. Making flyers, posters and cover art kept him illustrating, especially when his day job came with tight briefs, corporate clients and brand guidelines.

 

After studying art and design, he spent more than a decade as a digital and motion designer for Manchester agencies.

 

“I enjoyed that time, but I never felt creatively fulfilled. So, in 2016, I decided to go freelance, with the long-term ambition of building a career in illustration and animation.”

 

“In the early years, most of my work was in corporate design and motion, which paid the bills whilst I developed my illustration practice in between projects.”

 

Slowly, the illustration commissions grew. Rick has since made work for Sony Music and The BRIT Awards, Yorkshire Tea and Fast Company.

What he’d tell his younger self

Looking back, Rick wishes he’d made more of his time at university, with three years of materials, equipment and teaching on hand. But he’s kind about it.

 

“To be honest, though, I don’t really have any regrets these days. I had a few challenges when I was younger, and I used to think I could have achieved more if I’d done things differently. But looking back, I think I did the best I could given what I had going on at the time.”

 

“I’ve made work I’m proud of and I’m happy with where I am right now, while still having plenty I want to achieve.”

 

Which brings us rather nicely to the very large shopfront on Oldham Street.

Manchester, look what Rick made

Timperley has a pretty impressive creative history. Chris Sievey, better known as Frank Sidebottom, lived there, as did Ian Brown and John Squire of The Stone Roses, and you’ll find nods to them tucked into Rick’s artwork.

 

“The artwork is intended to be a psychedelic explosion of colour and joy, full of energy, with a proper sense of Manchester running through it.”

 

There are characters to find, local references to spot, and a lot more colour than your average shopfront.

 

“As a local artist, it’s an amazing opportunity to have my work displayed in the heart of the city I love, and to contribute to its cultural landscape.”

 

And working with us? 

 

“One of my favourite ever projects and collaborators, and an amazing team of people!”

 

Come and see it. From Timperley to the Northern Quarter. 

 

Lucy & Yak, 22 Oldham Street, Manchester