Paul Pateman is an independent illustrator, best known by his alias Pâté. Paul creates images and type compositions that are as equally direct and uncomplicated as they are humorous.

Designboom: what originally made you want to become an illustrator?

Paul Pateman: From as early as I can remember, I’ve always drawn. I went to art college and then studied visual communications at university where I was seduced by the world of advertising. After some years as an art director, I realised I was no longer drawing and I missed it. To cut a long story short, my then creative partner and I found a client outside of our agency roster that we could write ads for and that I could illustrate. The work we produced for V&A Museum of Childhood went on to win lots of global awards, especially for illustration. From there, I signed with an illustration agent and parallel tracked two careers until 2012, when I quit advertising to illustrate full time.