Steve Scott is a London-based illustrator who often tells multiple stories within a single illustration. Like an author writing a novel, he crafts details that enrich the themes of his narratives and reveal the purpose and motivation of each of his characters. He thoughtfully executes his dense compositions by utilizing only 3 or 4 colors at a time. The brightest colors highlight essential elements and guide the viewer’s eyes throughout the piece.
L’atelier Irradié is a French studio founded by brothers Alain and Laurent Vonck. With a passion for photography and experimental type design, the studio creates work that is rich and dynamic. In addition to their commercial work, they’ve launched a series of self-initiated projects that allow them to explore different creative avenues such as collage and 3D modeling. This appetite for creative discovery has fueled inventive work that has been exhibited in galleries around the world and recognized by respected organizations such as the New York Type Directors Club.
John F. Malta creates imaginative work inspired by his teenage years in the Midwest. His zines and comics, such as Baboom! and The Junkyard, are filled with humorous (and sometimes existential) stories full of rebellious skateboarding punks, guitar playing monsters, and cosmic jungle tigers. His neon color schemes and the mystifying large dark eyes of his characters create lively scenes that vibrate with excitement and mischief. In addition to his personal work, he also collaborates on pieces for The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Valley Cruises Press. To learn more about his illustrations and creative influences, make sure to follow him on Instagram and to take a look at his annual art anthology, Universal Slime.
In this edition of Finds from The Field, we feature awesome tile work and signage we’ve found throughout San Francisco including these amazing tiles at Volta.
Abbey Lossing is a Brooklyn based illustrator who crafts charming drawings and animated gifs full of lively characters and whimsical narratives. Her pastel color palettes and playful use of halftone patterns give her pieces a warm and lighthearted quality, reminiscent of children’s books and comics. Her work has graced the pages of Variety Magazine and The Magazine of Contemporary Illustration as well as Buzzfeed and Vice News. To see more of her portfolio and to take a peek at her process, make sure to follow her Instagram and blog.
Maxim Leurentop is a Belgian graphic designer who formerly worked under the alias Studio Turbo Turbo and with the Antwerp-based studio Mirror Mirror. A passionate photographer, he often couples his photographs with typographic arrangements that are playful and intriguing, yet still easily read.
Estudio Pum proudly states, “In order to find new solutions, we must leave our comfort zone.” This passion for exploration and innovation is evident through the variety of illustrative and typographic styles utilized within their body of work. From playful paper cutouts to refined type-driven websites, Pum proves that they aren’t afraid to tackle a diverse range of projects and visual aesthetics. To expand their creativity and learn how to work with different tools, the studio takes on a number of passion projects including a Risograph printed zine and a line of wooden toys and rattles.
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Ghost – a chilling new collection of short stories from a team of writers and illustrators with roots at Pixar, Disney and Paramount. Through word of mouth and cryptic Facebook updates, I have been tracking the book’s progress and this week I was excited to finally get my hands on a copy.
Produced by Illustratus, Ghost marks the studio’s first foray into publishing. If the book is indicative of future releases, then they are off to a very good start. Sizing in at 9.25” x 12”, this mighty tome (or should I say tomb?) contains 13 hair-raising vignettes told through the voice of a reclusive groundskeeper. In each tale, the author meticulously summons the spirit of campfire nights of a youthful past through vivid storytelling that is equally engaging as it is terrifying. Interacting with and shaping the words are a series of dense and haunting visuals. Employing snow-bleached landscapes, speckled textures and muted tones, the images take on an ephemeral and otherworldly quality. The end result is aesthetically stunning and will serve as a worthy benchmark for a new generation of ghost stories.
Ghost is available for pre-orders today, with books shipping out as early as November 1st. In addition, you can pick up a copy at a special book launch, art auction and Halloween party this weekend in LA. Included in the auction will be original art works by Pete Docter, Sanjay Patel, Chris Sasaki, Jeff Turley, Daniela Strijleva, Albert Lozano and many others. Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
Franklyn in a Brooklyn-based creative studio founded by Michael Freimuth and Patrick Richardson. While designing for a wide range of clients, they strive to “stay trill” and create eye-catching designs that genuinely represent the companies they work with.
Their talent for creating alluring and authentic brands can be seen within their work for Marz Brewing, a collective of brewers and artists. The studio created a flexible branding system in order to easily collaborate with the artists to craft distinctly different labels for each flavor of beer. This innovative approach to branding has led to an alluring packaging system that beautifully symbolizes the diverse personalities of each brewer.
Having a passion for expanding their imaginations and showcasing the creativity of others has led to charming self-initiated projects. They create official Franklyn swag, like toothbrushes and skateboards, and collaborate with designer Kyle Poff to create Matérial Magazine.
In this edition of Finds from the Field, we feature our trip to Sea Ranch – a modern housing community established in the mid-sixties along the Northern California coastline. Featured on and within several of these structures are supergraphics and icons by Bay Area designer Barbara Stauffacher-Solomon. In addition, she designed the logo which can be easily seen on the signage at the Sea Ranch Lodge and welcome center.
