All Roads lead to Sheffield

It all started with a conversation we had January 2026. Speaking about about the re-issue of Selected Ambient Works by Aphex Twin and about how much we loved the artwork. This led us on to the WARP logo how cool it would be to do something with The Designers Republic (tDR™). The reply was, “I’ve already been talking to them, about a year ago, maybe get in touch and see what we can do.” It became clear that we had to set the wheels in motion in a big way.

‘The Designers Republic (tDR) is one of the most ubiquitous and successful design companies on the planet. They have worked on thousands of record sleeves, re-designed Coca-Cola bottles, shaped the aesthetic of game-changing computer games, and the flyers they made for nightclubs 30 years ago are now considered treasured collector’s items. Which is not bad going for a design agency that started by accident.

The sheer scale and volume of work that has come out of the company is staggering. It’s been exhibited all over the world, is featured in books – including a 500-page A-Z of their work published by Thames & Hudson – and is housed in permanent collections in the MoMA and V&A. The work is continually gobbled up by hardcore collectors, while new fans are being made via younger generations who are discovering this stuff for the first time via social media accounts. 40 years on from its accidental inception, tDR has had many imitators but it remains a true one-off in the design world. And now you can drink it’. - Daniel Dylan Wray 2026  

We arranged a time to talk with tDR™ co-founder Ian Anderson. After several change of plans of dates and times we decided just to call and Ian answered immediately. An hour later we were in agreement that it would be fun to collaborate but the only way to really figure out what that could look like was if we were to travel up to Sheffield and talk with Ian about it in person. Of course the incredible body of work that tDR™ has produced was part of the equation and Verdant was definitely going to be part of this too.

Three days later we drove from Cornwall to Sheffield, hours of conversation and music wondering what on earth would happen when we got there. As we travelled up the motorway we were struck by how similar this scenario was, with the mythic stories I had grown up reading about in the NME, Sounds and Melody Maker. The sort of thing Tony Wilson from Factory Records might make you do and exactly what Ian Anderson is still doing to this day.

We arrived at our arranged meeting point, The Lescar pub where we found Ian and Verdant’s creative director Jim sat in a cosy corner. Jim had beaten us to it taking the train from London. They were already in mid flow of conversation, so we sat down, caught up and the ideas started flying, as did the stories from Ian. Sheffield is the centre of the world for The Designers Republic and it was exciting, to say the least, to be chatting with Ian about 40 years of art and the enviable list of the great artists, labels and businesses tDR™ have worked with. We talked about WARP, Aphex Twin, Autechre and legendary Sheffield institutions Fon and Gatecrasher. We chatted about PWEI, Wipeout, Coca-Cola and how Ian had always wanted there to be a tDR™ beer but had never found the right partner, as the last thing he wanted to do was a straight up beer label.

We talked for hours over pints of Lightbulb and hatched the plan for what would become DR:ink the collaboration beer between tDR™ and Verdant. We sowed the seeds of a tour and now we have confirmed dates with tickets available. Tickets that as I write this are already flying out in the first hour of becoming available.

If you have questions for Ian Anderson you can send them here but even better you can come along on the night to a venue of your choice and ask Ian yourself. Oh yes, we also decided to do something else together, something really special, but to get your hands on it you’ll have to come along and say hello on one of the dates. There may even be some special guest joining us from across the 40 years of the people tDR™ have worked with but we haven’t even been told who they will be. Let’s find out together.

We’re proud to say that working with tDR ™, for us, is very exciting. We’ve been fans of their work for decades. Keep an eye out for an upcoming UK tour with Ian Anderson in conversation with us. We’ll be touring pubs and bars and alongside beer we’ll be bringing with us an exclusive tDR40 print brochure for all of those who attend.

Find a 40 years of tDR™ Anniversary Tour venue near you and book tickets here.