Ben Newman illustrates Life and Fate

British illustrator Ben Newman recently applied his bold and bright style to a poster for BBC Radio 4’s upcoming dramatisation of Vasily Grossman’s epic novel Life and Fate. “The idea was to convey that the book was so controversial at its time of print that it was essentially 'placed under arrest',” explains Newman, who was supplied with images of mid-century Soviet posters as a starting point for the feel of the piece.

He passed a number of pencil roughs back and forth with the art director before nailing the final concept. “Trying to solve a complex problem as simply as possible is always a very taxing task, but it’s also extremely rewarding once you have,” he says. “I'm really pleased with how the book sits so symmetrically in the composition.”

Newman is represented by Pocko and has worked for clients including Selfridges, the Tate and Magma.

www.bennewman.co.uk