ART

Motive Culture

Ihad a small epiphany while walking around looking at art the NEC Classic Motor Show in 2017. Having had a passion for graphically illustrated posters for years and also attending many shows where I saw reproductions or other artwork for sale, I decided to try and set a goal of launching my own brand and work at the show a year later.

During the year timeframe, I developed the brand name and identity; created 30 different print designs and built the website alongside social media channels. I also outlined a small business plan and

objective to give the brand direction and purpose – all of this whilst holding down a full-time career. Since then Motive Culture has become my primary business and I’ve tried to build up the brand organically; gaining true followers and supporters along the way.

After gaining a degree at Coventry University in graphic design over 20 years ago, I’ve been lucky enough to work with range of well-known brands. From my early days as Art and Design Editor of Fast Ford Magazine, to designing BMW’s and Auto Trader’s websites in the mid-noughties, onto the digital side of Autocar, PistonHeads and Classic & Sports Car later, plus a stint at Dyson and more recently as lead HMI designer for McLaren Automotive, working on the Elva. This experience has helped shape and inspire the Motive Culture brand, plus also making sure my art is recognisable and distinctive – that hopefully customers will want to hang on their wall.

I wanted a brand name that wasn’t limiting to cars. The name came about whilst reading a coffee table photography book from SpeedHunters. The book is full of photos of automotive culture from around the world and so I began playing with words for the brand name, with the

word ‘automotive’ revealing the word ‘Motive’, as a pro-active, passion-based word. ‘Culture’ is a definitive way of life and a bringing together of liked minded ideas and people. Pairing these words together creates a brand name with depth, allowing room to for it to grow and not just be limited to just cars.

Each illustration is created using Adobe Illustrator with a mix of Photoshop and takes a good few days to produce a single vehicle. Many of my off-theshelf prints have yellow headlamps for no other reason than I think they look cool. I wanted to add something different to my prints as there are lot of other vector-based artworks out there, so using the Motive Culture logo with stripes and a large roundel I was able to define a recognisable look. I also have a typographic based version too. Customers who order Motive Culture prints are getting exclusive pieces because I don’t produce thousands of each design, generally between 25 and 50 of each on very high-quality paper stock and commissions are of course complete one offs. Ultimately, it’s about capturing a fellow enthusiast’s passion in a print.

The family team and I, either my father or brother working with me, have attended numerous shows over the past few years including the NEC Classic Motor Show, Historic Motorsport show Race Retro at Stoneleigh; various Bicester Heritage events and OilCooled at Boxengasse. Shows are the best way to meet new customers, sell posters and establish new contacts. The Motive Culture brand has been seen in various car magazines too, from the well-respected Octane Magazine, to Modern Classics, Classic Ford and Fast Ford magazines. Print advertising is essential to not only support the magazines but also give credibility and strength to the brand.

A number of automotive artists have been an inspiration for my work as I’ve been collecting vintage posters by Géo Ham for years. I favour the versions by Musée de L’automobiliste in Paris as these have a really nice quality to them. Most have been bought from France or from French art traders. I have a selection of 1970s Monaco Grand Prix prints in my studio, plus many others rolled up in tubes.

In addition to having a passion for artwork, I’m also equally enthusiastic about my own cars. I currently have a small collection of modern classics; for the past 21 years I’ve owned a modified classic Mini, I have a very early 1990 Mk1 Mazda MX-5 and a classic Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000 Estate, which is used to haul poster stock and equipment to shows. All three are great as they’re not big money, just cheap useable classics.

I’d like to expand Motive Culture to work in partnership with automotive brands, creating official artwork for manufacturers. I have great respect for companies such as Automobilist, who have really raised the game of automotive art. I don’t see them as competitors as they’re offering a different style; I love the fact there’s a lot of creative talent out there for enthusiasts to make their own mind up. I’m looking to expand my retail base too as I currently have posters for sale at The Classic Motor Hub in the Cotswolds, on the walls at Caffeine & Machine and online at Petrolicious, plus numerous other outlets.

Darren Curtis

www.motiveculture.com