An illustration of a group of people huddled together, their faces peering into the frame from the right. To the left, a small white house with a red roof sits on a green hillside under a pink sky.

Unadulterated joy courtesy of Hungarian graphic designer Anna Kövecses

Words: Liv Siddall
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Date: 22 August 2014; Work
Graphic Design

Anyone you know a downright sourpuss? Treat ‘em to a link to work by Hungarian designer Anna Kövecses. Here at It’s Nice That we give high praise to work that is candy-coloured and cute – as long as it never falls under the tasselled umbrella of “twee.” Anna’s work is a perfect example of that as beneath the childish exterior lies a wealth of design knowledge and style.

Her recent work for Milk X Magazine is a step away from the Hungarian children’s illustrative vibe she had going on before – I’m referring here to the alphabet book that everyone talks about – and a step into a whole new world of cutting edge editorial. Personally I enjoy Anna’s work to such a degree that I like to fantasise about having her designs on my wedding dress, or perhaps as the cover of my autobiography (that I will narrate from a chair like Barbara Cartland to a keen servant scribe).

An illustration of an elderly person standing atop a mountain peak, holding a red and yellow flag with the number “93” on it. Text on the blue background reads “live long” and “die fast”. Below the mountain, a small white church and a graveyard sit on a green hill. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Viewpoint magazine with art direction by Bianca Wendt

An illustration of a pink milkshake and a bowl of ice cream with simple faces. They sit on a cream tablecloth patterned with red tulips and blue flowers against a brown background. — Above
Anna Kövecses: BBC

An illustration of a person crouching in a landscape, looking at a blue beetle through a magnifying glass. They wear a polka-dot top, red trousers and a yellow backpack, with a green tent and stylised trees behind them. — Above
Anna Kövecses: BBC

A graphic illustration of two figures, split across a double-page spread. The figures are rendered in flat, bold colours and geometric shapes, with a red square obscuring the face of the person on the right. Fragments of text, including the word “Bong”, are scattered across the composition. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

A graphic design spread featuring stylised, faceless portraits of two people. Bold blocks of red, blue and yellow overlap the figures, accompanied by fragmented text including “Humphrey” and “Ingrid”. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

A two-page spread of bold, colourful illustrations. The left page shows a stylised portrait of a person with a large white beard, while the right page depicts two figures embracing. Text across the pages reads “Tagore”, “Gala” and “Salvadore”. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

An illustration across two pages features stylised portraits of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The left page shows a close-up of a person’s face with the words “love icons” and “me” surrounding them. On the right, two figures hold flowers against a green background, with the name “yoko” written vertically. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

A stylised illustration of a person with a moustache, their eyes obscured by a red square. Abstract shapes in yellow, blue and red overlap the figure, with the letters “W”, “i”, “l”, “i”, “a”, “m” scattered across the composition. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

Above

Anna Kövecses: Milk X Magazine

Two paper collages featuring abstract shapes and figures in bright colours. One shows a stylised person with yellow hair and a red polka-dot hat, while the other depicts a stack of geometric forms. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Secret 7"

A collage of abstract shapes in orange, pink, blue, green and black on a beige background. The shapes are arranged in a vertical stack in the centre, flanked by smaller scattered forms. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Secret 7"

An illustration of several figures with white hair and beards, tumbling headfirst in a row across a pink landscape. They fall over green hills towards a small white house and snow-capped mountains under a yellow sun. — Above
Anna Kövecses: Viewpoint magazine with art direction by Bianca Wendt

Further Info

www.annakovecses.tumblr.com

About the Author

Liv Siddall

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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

Unadulterated joy courtesy of Hungarian graphic designer Anna Kövecses

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