1983 – 1998. Russell studied graphic design at the London College of Printing (1983-86) and the Royal College of Art (1986-88). Following graduation, he set up a shared design studio in Shoreditch and began working with clients such as Decca Records, Hong Kong Telecom, British Film Institute and British Airways. He was given a 'Creative Futures Award' by Gert Dumbar and in 1993 his work was selected by artist/designer Kiezo Matsui for a solo exhibition in Japan.

In 1994 he returned to the Royal College of Art as a part time lecturer, which coincided with a move to his own studio in Clerkenwell, London. An interest in making his own work for exhibition alongside commercial projects helped attract interest from the international design community as well as new clients such as the Royal Mail, Cable & Wireless and Englender Furniture. In 1996 he was invited as an examiner at L'ecole Superior, Paris and to exhibit his work for the Design Museum and the Crafts Council.

1998 – present. In 1998 he moved his design practise to Bath inWiltshire continuing to balance his self-initiated work with commercial projects for clients such as Bafta, Orangebox, Royal Mail and the BBC. In 2002 he visited the University of Western Sydney, Australia as a course consultant and in 2004 was invited to become a member of AGI (Alliance Graphic International). In that same year he was invited by Professor Dan Fern to head up an experimental digital print research project (Control Print) at the Royal College of Art, the results of which were exhibited in London 2008 and in New York 2009.

In recent years he has worked with fashion designer Orla Kiely, designer Gerard Taylor and for the Contemporary Art Foundation Calvert 22.

His private and commercial work has won numerous design, typography and print awards and continues to feature in books and magazines.

Exhibitions include:

• Solo exhibitions
• Ginza Graphic Gallery, Tokyo (1993)
• DDD Gallery, Osaka (1994)

• Group exhibitions
• Dutch PTT – Design Museum, London / as part of a complimentary exhibition (1993)
• Work From London – Craft Council, a European touring exhibition (1994)
• RCA 'Print Digital' – Sea Gallery, Clerkenwell, London (2008)
• RCA 'Print Digital' in collaboration with Parsons, The New School – Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, New York (2009)

Recognition & awards include:

• D&AD (1988)
• Creative Futures Award (nominated by Gert Dumbar in 1990)
• Donside Award (1992)
• Consort Royal Awards – Gold, Silver and Regional Winner (1994, 2000, 2002)
• Design Week Awards (finalist 2003, 2011)
• Cream Awards – Gold, Silver and Grand Prix Awards (2003, 2004)
• Premier Paper – Gold Awards for excellence in print and design (2002, 2003)

Publications & feature articles include:

Typography Now, Fax You, Graphic Edge, All Men are Brothers, The Best of Brochure Design No.9, AGI–Graphic Design since 1950, 100 Years of the RCA, What's cooking? Famous Designers on Food, One by One – Back to the days of book lovers.

Idea magazine (Japan), Blueprint magazine, Portfolio magazine (Japan), XYZ, Direction, Baseline magazine, Eye magazine, Page magazine (Germany), Type magazine (Germany), Graphis, Screens International, Creative Review, FP magazine (Japan), Illustrator and Campaign.