Creative Artworker Tom Mattison brings in the holidays with iconic Selfridges Christmas campaign

Millions in London, England, and the United Kingdom as a whole, have seen and appreciated Tom Mattison’s work and not even known it. As a creative artworker, Mattison helps many popular brands create impacting imagery both in their stores and for promotional purposes.

Born and raised in Southampton, England, Mattison never doubted that he would be exploring his passion of art and design in his career. Working in advertising, he can be more technical than simply a visual artist. It is this technical precision that he enjoys. He likes the hands-on nature of what he does, that what he creates has a clear end goal and his input is tangible. The responsibility of being in charge of what so many people will see is rewarding for Mattison. He enjoys the dialogue between the client during the process of sign-off and approval. This is why he finds it such rewarding work, constantly finding the best way to deliver an idea. No matter the challenges, he knows just how to overcome them to deliver outstanding results.

“Very often, time pressure due to campaign launch dates are the largest obstacle of the artworking process. I have found that working methodically ensures I achieve maximum results. Communication with other team members is key in those situations where the pressure is high,” he said. “Other challenges on the creative side include understanding a project having not worked on it from the beginning. I have gained experience working this way for some time now and have developed skills to adapt and streamline the process to be able to efficiently interpret creative briefs.”

Currently, Mattison works within the advertising and design industry with leading creative agencies on other world-leading brands. Previously, he worked for Genix Imaging Ltd, based in Fitzrovia, London. With the company, he created several campaigns for Nike, GAP, and more, giving him the exposure he had only dreamed of when he first began his career. Now, as a freelancer, he explores his creativity even more, and with companies like Vans and their “All In: The Mind” exhibition, he is able to put his own unique touch on various events and campaigns.

Mattison’s first real taste of national success came back in 2015 when he worked on Selfridges Christmas Campaign. Growing up in England, Mattison was well aware of the iconic department store’s infamous Christmas displays. He worked on realising all of the festive print elements across the nine-floor store in London, working through all the applied technical aspects and finishes to make sure the store was presented in the highest quality with luxury detailing throughout.

“Christmas is a really important time for Selfridges with people coming from around the world to see what the brand has in-store, aside from the exposure the sheer scale of what the brand installs over the Christmas season is always exciting to be a part of. I wanted to work on the project because working on such a breadth of work is always a challenge I look forward to taking on. I felt the pressure and expectation for the installation to be flawless in both the detailing and overall look. Although in the end I feel pleased to have had the opportunity to have worked on such a high-profile installation and executed all aspects to high-quality. The installation was across the nine-floor store, the largest scale that Genix have done. I was also excited to get involved because of the range of printed graphics that were expected,” said Mattison.

This project was especially technical, with luxury finishes and detailing throughout. This meant the production methods were varied (digital white ink print, printing on to metallic gold material, intricate cut vinyl methods). Mattison needed to be accurate and methodical with all the deliverables required to ensure everything was delivered on time and consistent. Good communication was essential between the production team as well to ensure artwork specifications were exact. Being one of the largest installs for Genix, delivering and organizing the large volume of required graphics was also a challenge.

“I like that it was challenging to work with such varied production methods and materials. Maintaining consistency and quality between all graphics and 3D elements. I enjoyed working with the aesthetic of the campaign, the simplicity of the outer space photography and the gold vinyl typographic messaging worked well. I was able take this look and apply it to numerous in-store elements as required,” he said.

For the campaign, Selfridges’ in-house design team conceived the design aesthetic, but with months of technical experimentation and exploration with Mattison and Genix Imaging, the project reached its potential. Initial graphic ideas were handed over to his team and from there the store was developed into a finished execution.

“It’s good to work on a project where you know the outcome will have a clear attraction to the public. Unlike online advertising the Selfridges store is a real place people will visit and engage with. To have worked on a campaign that attracts more people than any other within the agency was a real honour and achievement,” he said.

Because of Mattison’s consistency and efficiency through many production methods, he was able to deliver a large body of work within the time frame required. His eye for detail ensured elements throughout all floors of the store looked and felt as they should. He was able to handle the pressure and remain calm under the demands of the client and time-scale. Such dedication is what makes him such an outstanding creative artworker, and why he will have continued success for years to come.

Written by Sara Fowler