Waroot “Tom” Phanyarachun Best known for being the man behind every Moderndog album cover, as well as those of other indie household names, the graphic designer is all set to be art director for the band’s 15th anniversary concert 5.3.15 .

I came up with the name Moderndog. They were going to compete in the Coke Music Awards [in 1992] but they still didn’t have a name for the band. At that time, modern rock was in, “Moderndog” popped into my head and I thought it was a nice pun. I didn’t think they would last this long and become this famous.

Moderndog’s self-titled first album was my debut as a graphic artist. After that, I got a string of jobs, from Boyd Kosiyabong to Mr. Z and Yokee Playboy. I have now designed album covers for almost every big name indie band.

“Khob Khun” is my favorite track by Moderndog. I know they didn’t write the song for me, but still, it’s nice listening to the song and assuming they are thanking me. It feels great.

It’s been 15 years since I first worked with them. They are spontaneous and impulsive. We fight over many things, but at the same time we improve each other.

Cool, curious and classic are the three key words for my designs for Moderndog.

Music and art go together. I want a CD cover to really represent the mood and tone of the album and really represent the band. So I listen to the songs, talk to the artists and attempt to translate their music into a visual image.

The most important criteria for me when choosing a job is to get along with the people I work with. People who are open to new ideas and visions.

I prefer to work with established artists because they already have their own distinct style. They know who they are and what they want. All I have to do is to help conceive and create the visual images.

I consider what I have is half talent, half hard work.

Perceptive eyes are essential for a good art director. You have to know what is working and what isn’t. I always tell the band just worry about making music, leave the visual aspects to me.

Less is more is my design motto. I don’t like my working space to be too crowded with fonts or decorative patterns. It’s the ideas that count.

My clients spoil me. In fact, a part of a graphic designer’s job is to solve problems. But none of my customers disagree with my solutions. I am given the freedom to design whatever I want.

I always live up to my standards. Perhaps that’s why they readily approve my ideas and concepts. That or the fact that I tend to get upset if my ideas get rejected (laughs).

The most challenging part of my job is to figure out how to deliver a message within the limits of a CD cover.

Don’t treat an artist’s album cover as your coloring paper. It’s not. And it’d be a grave mistake to do so.

I buy lots of albums just because I like the covers. There are times that I am totally disappointed by the music. But a lot of my impulse buys turn out to be gems where the songs inside are as compelling as the images on the cover.

I was a singer in an experimental band called Stereotype. My musician friends said it would be interesting to see how I transform images into music. It turned out to be one of the most embarrassing things I have ever done in my life.

I love spending time with my daughter. We always draw and paint together. She’s only seven years old, but she is so good with acrylic paints. I think she’s a promising artist.

Sanam Luang is my favorite part of Bangkok. But I worry that if it gets changed into a flower market for real, it will lose that cool, old-school charm.

Peter Saville is my idol. He is the man behind some of the coolest and most iconic album covers for bands like Joy Division, New Order and Suede. I have only 15% of his talent.

I won’t allow myself to be outdated. I always buy lots of books and magazines to update myself.

I am no cut out for politics. I did give it a try, though. I was a consultant for the mayor of Nonthaburi for a year. Saville was commissioned as consultant creative director of the city of Manchester. So I thought I might as well give it a shot. But Nonthaburi is no Manchester. There was way too much corruption and bribery.

My ultimate career dream is to design a cover for Carabao. Their Made in Thailand cover is part of my inspiration­—nothing fancy, just a simple shot of bai tong [banana leaves]. But I was blown away by the unpretentious charm.