From T-shirts for Paul Smith to homeware for Marc Jacobs, Richard Ardagh, 28, has been working nonstop since graduating in graphic design from Central Saint Martins in 2003. Originally from Chorleywood, he had an eye for design from an early age.

'I was fascinated with Lego. Instead of following the instructions, I built whole worlds across my bedroom floor.' Away from commercial projects, he is passionate about handprinting.

In his studio off Hoxton Square, he makes posters with nursery rhymes, such as 'Pop! Goes the Weasel' and 'Oranges & Lemons', in typefaces that hark back to Victorian times. He lives in Stoke Newington with his partner Anne and one-year-old daughter Clementine.

What has been your strangest commission?
It was for a Victorian freak show on Carnaby Street called Wunderville for the London Design Festival in 2006. We were in Victorian dress trying to entice people to see a stuffed sheep with two heads.

That's where I sold one of my posters called Elephant Man, which was selected as a finalist at the Chicago International Poster Biennial 2008.

Describe your studio.
It's a tidy mess with books stacked in piles everywhere. To anyone else it looks like a bomb has hit it, but I know where everything is.

Who are your heroes?
The man behind the 'I love New York' logo, Milton Glaser. He's a graphic designer with 50 years' experience. He invited me to his studio in New York and gave me invaluable advice.

Who inspires you?
R Buckminster Fuller, an engineer and architect from the 1950s and 1960s, who helped mastermind geodesic domes, like those at the Eden Project. Working on such a large scale would be fantastic.

What's next?
The Tolkien Estate granted me permission to set a poem from The Lord of the Rings. It's a song called 'Oliphant' about mythical battle elephants. HarperCollins will be promoting and selling it in the New Year. A project with complete artistic licence and elephants; it couldn't be better.

For more information, visit elephantsgraveyard.co.uk