Introducing the Debut Print Collection by Chris Bentham

This week, we’re thrilled to launch the first limited-edition print collection by Chris Bentham, a designer whose work as Deputy Art Director at Penguin has shaped the visual identity of countless books, and whose personal artistic practice has long existed just beneath the surface. For years, Chris has been creating art privately alongside his professional work, exploring ideas that don’t quite fit within the boundaries of traditional design. This new collection marks a shift: a moment where the artist steps forward from behind the book cover, using the language of typography, collage, printmaking, and abstraction to express something deeply personal and unmistakably his own. 

What follows is a conversation with Chris ahead of the launch, an insight into how this collection came to life and what it represents in his evolution as an artist. 

'You’ve had an impressive career as Deputy Art Director at Penguin Books. What motivated you to step into the art world and launch this first collection of limited-edition prints? 

I’ve always made work for myself alongside my professional practice. Book cover design is about communicating another artist’s work, it’s incredibly rewarding and creatively rich, but I’ve always felt I still had more in the tank. My own art is a chance for self-exploration, to say what I want to say. 

How did you decide to honour the handmade screen-printing process for these works, and what was it like collaborating with a master printer? 

Screen printing has always been part of my practice. I love the tactile feel, the limitations, the fact that every extra colour has a physical cost. I love the imperfections. It connects to the way I work with cut paper, old magazines, and misused or oversized letraset. 

Working with a master screen printer gave me some distance from the work, enough to really appreciate the intentional imperfections I’ve added once they’re printed perfectly by someone else. 

Is there a particular story or idea behind this first collection that feels like the start of a new chapter? 

My work is always an exploration of the relationship between typography, collage and abstraction. I want to use all of these expressively. Yes, there are hard graphic lines, but I also like to soften them, make the work feel human. 

These editions are deliberately limited. What does “exclusivity” mean to you in this collection? 

Coming from a graphic design background, a lot of my work was created to be democratic and mass-produced. I love taking that visual language and using it for self-expression. 

Exclusivity enters when I use a found image or letraset, I physically cut into it. There’s an element of chance. Mistakes become a virtue. Each piece becomes a one-off expression, even inside an edition.

How has your time in publishing shaped your artistic identity? 

My time in publishing has hugely influenced my work as an artist. It’s changed the way I think. It’s softened some of the harder, more graphic instincts in my work, made it feel more natural, but still bold. 

There’s a mode of thinking I use when designing a book cover: thinking deeply about the message I want to convey. I do the same with my art, but with far fewer compromises. With art, I can let the idea wander.'

The first three editions from Chris Bentham’s debut collection are available now.