Founded by Maxime Prou and Adèle Favreau, Atelier Bingo is a French studio that specializes in screen-printed abstract compositions. Employing organic shapes, wild squiggles, and hand drawn polka dots, the studio creates an intriguing mix of colors and textures that are beautifully balanced and refreshingly playful. Through collaborations with companies like Poketo and Element, their patterns have adorned an array of products such as notebooks, skateboards, and blankets.
Based in Aukland, Studio South is a design consultancy that crafts branding, web, and print projects for a range of companies throughout New Zealand. With strong conceptual thinking, they create bold logos and minimal layouts that are sleek and recognizable. In addition, their use of lavish printing techniques, such as holographic foils and UV varnishes, enriches their work and adds an extra dose of flair.
Fashioned from hand drawn sketches, Drew Melton’s typefaces vibrate with personality and flair. From thick gothic scripts to modern elegant flourishes, his fonts provide a variety of aesthetic options that uplift the letterforms. In addition to his commercial work, he also crafts custom lettering for brands such as Nike, Target, and the enamel pin collective Super Team Deluxe.
Timo Kuilder is a Dutch designer who works under the moniker Zwartekoffie. Utilizing simple shapes, he creates elegant figures and landscapes that pop with color. To add depth and texture, he finesses his pieces with delicate gradient-like shading and soft halftones. Although his characters lack facial expressions, they appear active and energetic as their personalities shine through their exaggerated actions and oversized accessories.
Drawing from Egyptian and Japanese folk art, illustrator Lili des Bellons crafts space-aged versions of ancient beasts and samurai warriors. Set amongst barren landscapes, these haunting portraits are glimpses into the everyday lives of these majestic creatures. Adding to the mystery of his work is the strange juxtaposition of the archaic characters and their modern clothing. In each portrait, they proudly sport patterned polo shirts and neon jumpsuits indicative of ‘80 fashion.
America’s public schools are underfunded and teachers are often lacking essential tools to effectively do their job. To address this, Brad and Krystal Woodard of the design studio, Brave the Woods, created Artists For Education (AFE). The artist-led initiative aims to produce posters that educate and inspire students. To support these efforts, a fundraising campaign has been launched as well as an open call for designers to submit art. Submissions that are accepted will be available for teachers to download free of charge. In addition, giclée prints of the designs can be purchased, with a portion of profits benefiting educational programs. Participating artists include: Invisible Creature, Eight Hour Day, Mary Kate McDevitt, Justin Pervorse, Tuesday Bassen and many more.
To contribute to AFE, please visit their Indiegogo campaign.
Vanja Golubovic is a graphic designer that splits her time between Geneva and Berlin. Having an affection for music, film, and theater, she often collaborates with cultural institutions. I’m especially fond of her work for Tresor, a Berlin-based techno club and recording label. Fusing dynamic photography, neon colors, and dense textures, she creates posters that express the music’s pulsating rhythms and the venue’s lively ambiance. Uniting these elements is a rigid grid system that provides a visual hierarchy and represents the illustrious cage that the DJs perform in.
Seoul-based graphic designer, Joonghyun Cho, crafts inventive and highly conceptual posters that capture the essence of the institutions that they promote. This can easily be seen within his vibrant series for the Asia Lighting Design Forum. In each poster, he spells out the event’s acronym with layered gradients that beautifully represent the movement of light and the effects of its properties. Clever and alluring, his work has been recognized by numerous publications including, Communication Arts Korea, Nylon Korea, and Notefolio Magazine.
Bráulio Amado is a graphic designer living and working in New York. From comics to music videos, he takes on a number of creative endeavors and always seems to do so with humor and authenticity in mind. I’m particularly impressed with his ongoing poster work for music venues throughout New York. Abstract and experimental, these designs fuse lush gradients with illustrations and photographs in a collage-like fashion. Adding to these compositions, he layers in expressive typography that accentuates the pieces and acts as an analog counterpoint to the purely digital work.
