I am smitten with Anna Hurley’s illustrations. Utilizing simple forms and limited color palettes, she crafts playful scenes full of charming characters. I’m especially fond of her illustration “Celestial Hair”. Here, she depicts a woman with a flowing mane that contains a bustling coral reef and a starlit sky. This enchanting piece encompasses the wit and whimsicality often found in her work.
Erik Kirtley is a Stockholm-based designer with a passion for typography and illustration. He beautifully displays his skills through a poster series titled Random Acts in which he documents everyday activities. With subjects such as “brushing teeth” to the more abstract, each poster has its own unique style, but still retains its connection to the larger theme.
Printmaker, JooHee Yoon, has continued to craft whimsical illustrations and prints that vibrate with color and personality. With Enchanted Lion Books she’s published two charming picture books, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Beastly Verse, both printed with just three colors. She’s also done much editorial work, regularly illustrating for The New York Times, Plansponsor Magazine, and other prominent publications. To keep up with her work and to buy some of her pieces, make sure to follow her on Instagram and to check out her shop.
The Rodina is the independent practice of Tereza and Vit Ruller. Interested in the connections between culture, aesthetic, and technology, the duo explores these subjects through a wide range of medias. Their work is often experimental and utilizes whimsical elements such as neon colors, playful textures, and even the occasional emoji. This quirky nature is especially evident in their identity for the music festival, Itch My HaHaHa. Blending colorful patterns with 3D “blobs”, they crafted animal-like characters that represent the ever-mutating creature that is pop culture. The critters roam through every piece of the campaign as their unique patterns and bright hues represent the different types of music performed at the event.
Amber Vittoria is an illustrator living and working in New York City. She often employs round organic shapes and loose brushstrokes to illustrate the collections of high-end fashion brands. Hoping to empower the female form, she features the outfits on a variety of body types. She also challenges society’s standards of beauty by highlighting her figures’ disproportionate physiques and thick dark body hair. The juxtaposition of these elements highlight the grandiose and inventive nature of high-fashion while simultaneously defying the physical ideals the industry promotes. Her compelling pieces have graced the pages of prominent publications such as The New York Times, Teen Vogue, and Man Repeller.
XYZ Type is a new independent type foundry established by Ben Kiel and Jesse Ragan. They currently offer three beautiful typefaces – Cortado, Aglet Slab, and Export. I am especially impressed with Cortado, an elegant script inspired by the lettering of illustrator Cecilia Carlstedt. Designed to look as much like handwriting as possible, the typeface’s OpenType programming subtly changes the shapes of repeated letters and ends words with organic brushstrokes.
Büro 146 is an accomplished design studio that collaborates with theaters, schools, and other cultural associations throughout Switzerland. Especially impressive is their work for the Pavillon Le Corbusier, a museum dedicated to the famed Swiss architect. Over the past three years, Büro has crafted promotional materials that beautifully display the institution’s collection. Pulling from the gallery’s iconic multicolored walls, the studio developed a lush tapestry of posters and brochures that highlight the eccentric nature of Le Corbusier’s structures.
Founded by Astrid Stavro and Pablo Martín, Atlas is a brand and design consultancy based in New York and Mallorca. From chocolate packaging to magazine layouts, they consistently craft work that is whimsical yet still remains clean and elegant.
One of their more quirky projects is FS Sally Triestina, a typeface they designed in partnership with It’s Nice That and Fontsmith. The typeface was inspired by Stavro’s hometown of Trieste, Italy and the city’s contrasting architectural styles, cultures, and mindsets. The unique letterforms are beautifully displayed on specimen sheet posters that represent neighborhoods within the city.
Stay Nice is the studio of Rob and Barry van Dijck. The duo crafts dynamic designs for performances and exhibitions throughout the Netherlands. I am especially drawn to their work for Playgrounds, an annual showcase that celebrates contemporary animation, game development, sound and graphic design. The festival’s identity system features lively typography that expresses the exciting and whimsical nature of the event. Flysheets promoting recent guest speakers contain fragmented type that elegantly blends in with the presenter’s artwork. The end results are promotional materials that have proven to be just as striking as the pieces displayed at the exhibition.
Design by Toko is a multi-disciplinary studio based in Sydney. With a focus in branding and spatial design, they crafted a whimsical wayfinding system for the East Sydney Early Learning and Community Centre. The identity features vibrant colors and a rounded/welcoming typeface incorporated into signs that resemble children’s building blocks. In addition, the wooden frames and geometric compositions complement the building’s architecture and the playful nature of the space.
Toko also has a love for avant-garde design. This passion is manifested through side projects, including Gallery by Toko. Here, they aim to showcase artists and art movements that are rarely exhibited in Australia.
