About Chunk

Chunk has been around for over 20 years, and during that time we have built a loyal community of customers who love our original take on culture past and present. We’re passionate about what we do, and we aim to produce cool designs that create conversations and that stand the test of time.

Artist: Colonel

An early passion for design

Colonel's (real name is Richard Sanders) passion for good design goes back a long way. He first became interested after doing work experience for an advertising agency while he was still at school. A-levels in Art and History of Art led to him completing an Art Foundation, where it became even clearer to him that graphics were what he was most passionate about. This insight led to a decision to do a degree in Graphic Design at what is now Solent University in Southampton. This turned out to be a sound decision as not only did he gain skills, experience and insights it also built his confidence when his work was used to advertise the college's graduation show. Southampton also led to lasting friendships, some of which are still going strong 20 years later.

Focussing on the art of persuasion

After graduating, Colonel set his sights on the world of advertising and was lucky enough to get a job straight away. Advertising to him was all about using visual art to persuade customers to buy a product or service, and he particularly enjoyed seeing his images on billboards and in newspapers and magazines. Over his time in advertising, he worked his way up the ranks, created some great campaigns for a range of household names, made more friends, and eventually became the Art Director for a big London advertising agency.

Getting it back: the joy of design

Fast forward a few years, and with the millennium on the horizon, Colonel became disillusioned with the industry; it just wasn’t doing it for him anymore and it had become clear to him that he wanted more creative freedom, and something to call his own. In 2001, a friend persuaded him to join Chunk, he became its second employee, and as the company grew, Colonel and his fellow founders worked tirelessly to get the company up and running.

Harnessing the spirit of the times

After a discussion in a pub that spawned the idea, Chunk's first clever move was to take the retro Haynes DIY Car manuals' iconic illustrations and put them onto T-shirts. Chunk grew from there, and the company developed a reputation for its bespoke designs, which often featured their love of iconic characters from films, cartoons, and music, each given a distinctive signature twist. Colonel is a bit of a rebel. He likes doing things differently, and so he enjoys taking images from one arena, and integrating them with another - often somewhere where you'd least expect to see them.

His aim when he started working at Chunk is the same as it is now - to keep designs iconic, fresh, and funny, incorporating current cultural topics and trends while maintaining originality at the heart of everything he does. It's what motivates him to get out of bed in the morning.