Mark Bedford

'Since my teens I have had two passions: music and design. I've been lucky enough to work in both fields and throughout my life I've regularly switched between the two...' I could have chosen solely one or the other. At thirteen, I was in my first band at William Ellis Grammar School and that set me on the path to meeting the people that would become the group, Madness. We went on to make records, tour the world and have a series of fantastic experiences – winning Ivor Novello, Nordoff Robbins and Olivier Awards for our work. We still (with the odd break) play together today. I have also made music for ads and played on other musicians records. Notably with Robert Wyatt, on 'Shipbuilding' and Morrissey on the album, 'Kill Uncle'. Throughout I've kept my love of design and, during a break from music, went back to re-train at London College of Printing. On leaving, I founded the design studio, Mar Mar Co., which covers the gamut of design work: print, media, exhibition and products. Our clients include The V&A;, The Imperial War Museum and many cultural institutions in Scandinavia. We were chosen to design and produce the core range of retail products for the newly opened Tate Modern. Our work extends to both manufacturing and sourcing products with the aim of launching them in the UK. '...I still can't choose between the two, so I'll do the both for as long as I can'.