Design in Flux: Mark Harris and the Art of Looking Forward by Looking Back

Blending digital tools with analogue techniques, illustrator Mark Harris channels the spirit of 20th-century design to create work that feels both grounded and refreshingly new.

Design is never static -it evolves, loops, and renews itself. In the work of UK illustrator Mark Harris, we see a compelling case for how contemporary design can push forward while drawing confidently from the past. His recent Discover series, featured on It’s Nice That, captures this dynamic perfectly: a set of vibrant, collage-like illustrations created using scanned risograph prints, analogue textures, and digital layering. The result is a tactile, rhythmic visual language that feels timeless and entirely of the moment.

Past Masters

Harris’s practice resonates with echoes of past masters – not as homage or imitation, but as dialogue. His work recalls the bold abstractions of Stuart Davis, the layered screen-printed optimism of Sister Corita Kent, and the sharp graphic edges of Constructivism and 1960s counterculture. These references are not heavy-handed; they emerge subtly in the fractured compositions, syncopated forms, and carefully orchestrated colour. It’s a reminder that design doesn’t erase its past – it builds upon it.

​Process Driven Approach

What sets Harris apart is his instinct for balance: between structure and play, control and spontaneity. His pieces are often assembled by feel rather than plan – an intuitive process that reflects the improvisational spirit of jazz as much as modernist composition. Digital techniques serve not as shortcuts but as tools to extend the tactile energy of paper, ink, and collage. This process-driven approach echoes earlier design radicals who embraced experimentation as a means to communicate more powerfully.

As illustration and graphic design navigate the pressures of immediacy and homogenisation in the digital age, Harris’s work stands as a quietly radical gesture. It suggests a path forward rooted in personal voice, material exploration, and historical awareness. In doing so, he aligns with a new generation of designers who reject the idea of a clean break from the past, instead weaving lineage and innovation into a cohesive and forward-thinking visual practice.

Source: Article on It’s Nice That by Harry Bennett