Tom Ralston is a graphic designer and illustrator originally from London, England, now living in Toronto. Tom makes up one half of a graphic design partnership formed in 2008 called Core. You can find some samples of Tom’s work here. He tells us Where He Makes…

I live in Toronto, Canada where I’ve been settled for about 3 years now. Originally from the UK, I’m currently residing in a flat I rent just outside of downtown Toronto, near ‘Little Italy’.

I love Toronto, as there’s always loads going on. The events, concerts and festivals in Toronto are as diverse as its inhabitants, and each of the city’s seasons offer very different experiences.

My girlfriend and I were lucky to find our current apartment as not only is it a beautiful house in a nice neighbourhood, but it had also been recently renovated. It has terrifically high ceilings, lets in lots of light and is a great space to live and work. I have converted the spare room into a little studio space where I get to cause a little chaos each day.

Most of my time is dedicated to running my design partnership Core, but I also occasionally take on freelance work at agencies or in-house design departments. I love to lock myself away and work on designs or illustrations for hours on end, and I find that shifting between my business and freelance work is a good way of balancing my dedication to my own work and getting out there and interacting with people. I have a tendency to become a bit of a hermit when I get stuck into projects! I’m definitely most in my element when I’m in the studio working on something creative.

My bread and butter is working on branding projects – creating logos, print collateral, online web assets and interfaces. However, I also like to draw and illustrate, and enjoy doing commissions or personal projects in my spare time. One of the things I love about my work is the variety. I can work for all sorts of clients from different industries and there’s always something new to learn and explore.

I love working from home, although I must admit it took me a long time to get used to it. I used to struggle with disciplining my hours and avoiding distractions, but now I’ve settled into it and look forward to work on a Monday morning.

It took me 25 years before I worked out what I wanted to do with my life, work-wise. Despite having gone to an Art and Design College after I finished high school, I didn’t explore the idea of making a career out of my craft until several years later. I’m very fortunate to be doing what I love, but I think more than anything I have gotten to where I am today through hard work, drive and determination.

I’m always open to new opportunities and to collaboration, so please feel free to get in touch with me at tom@core-agency.com.

More: Website | Core | Facebook | Twitter

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‘Where I Make’ invites readers behind the scenes of artists from many disciplines to share photographs and a little insight about where they create their masterpieces. See more from the series here.