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Championing creativity

Advertising • Animation • Art • Graphic Design • Illustration • Photography •

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Work / Graphic Design

Oscar de Castro

Words by Alex Bec, Wednesday 29 September 2010

Very interesting portfolio site from Spanish graphic designer Oscar de Castro. Forget Barcelona and Madrid, Oscar resides in the northwest of the country in Vigo, and it obviously hasn’t had any detrimental effect on his work. I especially like this little piece for the celebration of the tenth anniversary of an international volunteer program in Kyoto, Japan, where the faces represent each volunteer, creating a cloud that has come to the country to help. Delightful.

www.oscardecastro.com

Most Recent

Director Angela Stephenson documents Manila's defiance for creative freedom in the narco-state 14 December 2018
Friday Mixtape: Anthony Naples takes us from the party to the after party 14 December 2018
Yung Hua Chen’s photography is effortlessly glamorous 14 December 2018
Graphic design studio Julia on ten years of synthesising ideas to graphic symbols 14 December 2018
Photographer Tyler Mitchell talks us through a momentous year in his career 14 December 2018
Francesca Allen on using photography as a means of self-expression 13 December 2018

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Work / Graphic Design Graphic design studio Julia on ten years of synthesising ideas to graphic symbols

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Ruby Boddington — 14 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Studio Albert Romagosa’s publication designs are uncomplicated yet intelligible

Barcelona-based studio, Studio Albert Romagosa was founded in 2014 by the designer of the same name. Crisp and clearly executed, the studio has developed a reputation for design precision to accompany striking visuals. With a variety of clients, the studio works on book design, branding and web design, consistently delivering polished, concept-based designs that are sympathetic to the client’s function.

Jyni Ong — 13 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Blok rethinks the design of cannabis after its legalisation in Canada

On 17 October, earlier this year, Canada became the second country in the world to legalise marijuana. Second, only to Uruguay, Canada is now the largest country in the world that legally sells the drug in a regulated system. Justin Trudeau’s government oversaw the turn in the law in an attempt to represent the changing stigma around marijuana, as well as prevent black market operations that persist in the rest of the world.

Jyni Ong — 12 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Hitesh Malaviya on the challenges of designing type for an Indian audience

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Work / Graphic Design Multi-faceted designers Studio Bergini hops between projects with a cool, clean elegance

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Work / Illustration For Ginko Yang “drawing creates the same effects as a mental massage”

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Work / Film Director Angela Stephenson documents Manila's defiance for creative freedom in the narco-state

Boiler Room is yet again shedding light on important social issues in a part of the world that is little known to us. The second film for its Contemporary Scenes series is To Live & Die in Manila and sees music orientated artists from the Filipino capital emotively express their frustrations under the bloodbaths incurred by the president of just over two years, Rodrigo Duterte.

Jyni Ong — 14 December 2018
Regulars / Friday Mixtape Friday Mixtape: Anthony Naples takes us from the party to the after party

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Josh Baines — 14 December 2018
Work / Photograhy Yung Hua Chen’s photography is effortlessly glamorous

Yung Hua Chen’s photography is seductive and cinematic. The Taipei-based photographer captures alluring portraits for fashion designers and also, purely for the love of the medium. Recently, she’s been shooting her lover Chihtian Shih. She tells It’s Nice That, “he inspires me in many kinds of ways. He’s an actor and plays many different roles that give him different life experiences.” Chihtian’s brooding good looks are seen in all types of situations; dappled in a dusky sunlight, walking the streets of Taipei, peacefully sleeping still in his clothes.

Jyni Ong — 14 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Graphic design studio Julia on ten years of synthesising ideas to graphic symbols

For the past ten years, graphic and spacial design studio Julia has been producing work for clients from the cultural and commercial sector, including everything from typefaces to books, magazines, exhibitions, posters, websites and identities. Having been formed in late 2008 by Valerio Di Lucente, Erwan Lhuissier and Hugo Timm, Valerio and Erwan (who have been running the studio since May of this year) are celebrating a decade of Julia. We caught up with the pair to find out a bit more about how their work has taken shape over this time.

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Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Photographer Tyler Mitchell talks us through a momentous year in his career

For many of us, photographs are a way of locating ourselves in a time and place. They act as temporal markers, reminding us of people and events who might have otherwise fallen into the ether of memory’s unreliability.

Josh Baines — 14 December 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Francesca Allen on using photography as a means of self-expression

Joining us at November’s Nicer Tuesdays was photographer Francesca Allen, a creative who has had a fast-paced career full of memorable moments, of which she creates just as many behind the camera as she does in front of it.

It's Nice That — 13 December 2018

Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Review of the Year 2018: Back to Back with Joey Yu and Olimpia Zagnoli

Two of our favourite illustrators talk about the things that really mattered to them this year – memes, animation, and more

It's Nice That — 13 December 2018
Work / Illustration Ram Han’s work continues to rekindle images of childhood nostalgia

Since we last spoke to the Seoul-based illustrator Ram Han last year, she has continued to bring her fantastical imagination to life through a new series of works titled Room. In her trademark style of metallic gloss, Ram’s latest illustrations explore the idea of personal space seen through bedrooms and personal objects.

Jyni Ong — 13 December 2018
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Sophy Hollington on learning to be creatively fulfilled while earning a living in 2018

During parts of 2018 it almost felt like you couldn’t look at a magazine, bookshelf or website without spotting the work of illustrator Sophy Hollington. Her body of work — one that’s elevated the art of linocutting beyond hazy memories of art classes into a sought after stylistic medium — has the ability to transform any written piece it often seems to accompany. This is down to Sophy’s illustrative talents of course, but also her consideration of the task at hand, steeping her process in research, thematic influences and a genuine interest of exploring what visual imagery can do.

Lucy Bourton — 13 December 2018
Work / Ones To Watch 2018 Same Paper and KangHee Kim's latest book is a golden journey from dawn to dusk

It’s Nice That’s Ones to Watch shines a light on 12 emerging talents who we think will conquer the creative world in 2018. From a global pool of creative talent, we have chosen our 2018 Ones To Watch for their ability to consistently produce inspiring and engaging work across a diverse range of disciplines. Each of our selections continually pushes the boundaries of what is possible with their creative output. Ones to Watch 2018 is supported by Uniqlo.

Ruby Boddington — 13 December 2018
Sponsored / Found in Adobe Stock We ask Duncan Cowles to create the ultimate Christmas ad, using only Adobe Stock and some expert advice

This winter It’s Nice That is partnering with Adobe Stock on a series of articles that celebrate their collection of millions of high-quality images, graphics, videos, 3D assets. Over the coming we will be providing an insight into how the Adobe Stock collection can benefit your creative practice.

Lucy Bourton — 13 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Studio Albert Romagosa’s publication designs are uncomplicated yet intelligible

Barcelona-based studio, Studio Albert Romagosa was founded in 2014 by the designer of the same name. Crisp and clearly executed, the studio has developed a reputation for design precision to accompany striking visuals. With a variety of clients, the studio works on book design, branding and web design, consistently delivering polished, concept-based designs that are sympathetic to the client’s function.

Jyni Ong — 13 December 2018

Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Hato's Ken Kirton on why co-creation really mattered in 2018

We founded Hato nine years ago as a close-knit design practice with a global outlook. With offices in London and Hong Kong, our purpose is to connect, enable and engage people and communities to create the world they want to live in, together.

Ken Kirton — 12 December 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Laurie Rowan on how he found his specific animation style

Laurie Rowan, an animator based in Brighton, was the first to take to the stage at November’s Nicer Tuesdays a few weeks ago, talking us through his career trajectory and how he found his own groove in the animation scene.

It's Nice That — 12 December 2018
Work / Publication Tony Hawk, 90s graphics, surfing and a whole lot more in new issue of Library Paper

Library Paper, the must-have publication for anyone keen to make sure they’re up-to-date with the what’s what and who’s who of art and design, is back for its ninth issue. A curated selection of work by Library Catalogue from the likes of Mikey Joyce, Bryan Rivera, Wrong Studio and Lola & Pani – alongside a 24-page surfing zine by Peter Sutherland – we caught up with Oliver Shaw to find out how he brought together this talented bunch under the theme of “movement”.

Ruby Boddington — 12 December 2018
Work / Illustration Seo-Young Kwon actively records thoughts and ideas that otherwise might float away

In the words of Seo-Young Kwon, being a freelance illustrator is a “wonderful job where you get to create things that have not yet existed in the world.” The Seoul-based artist likes to depict the world as if it were a fantasy. Mermaids and ghosts reoccur throughout her personal work whereas her commissioned work invites the viewer into wonderfully atmospheric scenes. She is also the creator of the lovable dessert character Siru, a smiling blob whose sidekick is an equally sweet loaf of bread and together, they incite just the right amount of cuteness.

Jyni Ong — 12 December 2018
Work / Animation Dante Zaballa's animation of Japan morphs through bullet trains and karaoke bars

“Turning a pile of paper into a video is always exciting,” states Argentinian animator Dante Zaballa. Currently based between Berlin and Buenos Aires, Dante’s work is imbued with energy and full of child-like charm and colour.

Ruby Boddington — 12 December 2018
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 2018 was the year Ezra Miller learned to take care of his brain

It’s been a big year for creative polymath Ezra Miller. When we spoke to him back in September of this year, he’d recently collaborated with Adidas while taking a break from his studies at NYU. Since then he’s landed a huge job working alongside artist Jon Rafman for Balenciaga – a project which caught global attention at Paris Fashion Week in October – and has recently signed with creative agency MA+Creative.

Ruby Boddington — 12 December 2018

Work / Graphic Design Blok rethinks the design of cannabis after its legalisation in Canada

On 17 October, earlier this year, Canada became the second country in the world to legalise marijuana. Second, only to Uruguay, Canada is now the largest country in the world that legally sells the drug in a regulated system. Justin Trudeau’s government oversaw the turn in the law in an attempt to represent the changing stigma around marijuana, as well as prevent black market operations that persist in the rest of the world.

Jyni Ong — 12 December 2018
Work / Publication Peer behind the curtains of Christmas cinema with It's a Wonderful Lifetime

Christmas is the most sedentary of the holidays. This, obviously, is a good thing. After all, the occasional brief Boxing Day stroll aside, who wants to do much more than sit solidly on a sofa for what feels like an eternity, living off Maltesers, small bottles of living room temperature beer, and the saccharine sustenance that only Christmas films offer?

Josh Baines — 12 December 2018
Work / Publication “I’m a believer in form”: Geoff McFetridge on his new book of introspective drawings

Anyone who knows Geoff McFetridge’s work will know that his unique use of colour is often what makes his paintings particularly striking. Yet it turns out that reaching that final expression actually takes a lot of work involving very little colour at all. “The process for making the paintings involves doing a lot of work on paper,” the Los Angeles-based artist tells us. “The images are developed on paper by doing many drafts of the same images. So once I start to paint I am no longer thinking about the image, the entire focus becomes about colour.”

Matt Alagiah — 11 December 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays A rundown of our Nicer Tuesdays highlights of 2018

On the last Tuesday of every month this year, we and 400 other creative fanatics headed down to Oval Space in East London to watch four practitioners tell us about themselves and their work. With 44 talks done and four more to follow next week, this year’s Nicer Tuesdays has been full of often hilarious, sometimes serious but – ultimately – always insightful talks.

It's Nice That — 11 December 2018
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Eight creatives from around the world tell us what made their city tick in 2018

Here at It’s Nice That, we’re dedicated to keeping our approach to creativity resolutely global. As societies at large start to feel increasingly unstable, uncertain, and atomised, it is more important than ever to consider how to foster a sense of likemindedness across the creative industries, remembering that borders don’t have to exist in the way we’re told they do.

Josh Baines — 11 December 2018
Work / Illustration “Are we all avatars now?” asks digital painter Zak Keene

London-based illustrator Zak Keene trained as an architect and consequently has self-professed “OCD compulsions”. In architecture, “everything has to be precise to the millimetre”, Zak tells It’s Nice That. If measurements aren’t accurate, somewhere down the line “it could lead to big complications and the builders could call to say the staircase doesn’t reach the second floor!” Zak has become obsessed with the smallest details in his illustration work. His hyperreal digital drawings utilise architectural ratios that see the work totally to scale. When working, Zak asks himself, “am I drawing a 1:1, intimate close up of a hand clutching an object? Or am I drawing a zoomed out elevation encompassing an entire scene with figures against a landscape?”

Jyni Ong — 11 December 2018

Work / Photography Mohamad Abdouni on documenting an “important time in Arab queer culture”

“The way it currently stands, we as queer Arabs don’t have extensive (if any) documentation of our queer past and tend to refer to the West for reference and history,” explains Beirut born-and-raised photographer, filmmaker and editor-in-chief of Cold Cuts magazine, Mohamad Abdouni. Through both his commissioned and personal work, Mohamad is looking to change this fact, documenting the community he is apart of, and the culture it is beginning to thrive within.

Ruby Boddington — 11 December 2018
Sponsored / Product Design MUJI talks us through the brand’s famously minimal design aesthetic

MUJI may well be a recognisable high-street brand today but few people know much about the company’s history. The brand was born in 1980s Japan, when the country’s so-called “economic miracle” was coming to an end and people were massively cutting back on their spending. As the MUJI team puts it, the company was founded in this unique environment “as an antithesis to the habits of extreme consumer society”. It’s an ethos that still resonates today.

Sponsored Content — 11 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Hitesh Malaviya on the challenges of designing type for an Indian audience

“I think India is the most diverse country in the world”, says freelance type designer Hitesh Malaviya. “We have 29 states and almost every state has a different language and culture. People in India currently speak about 780 languages, written in 11 different scripts.” Compared to type designers dealing with latin glyphs, designers like Rocky — as Hitesh is known to his friends — who design fonts for an Indian audience face the challenge of perfecting around 750 to 800 glyphs in each font and weight.

Jyni Ong — 11 December 2018
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Little Pyongyang director Roxy Rezvany reflects on what constitutes a successful year

You can’t have failed to notice North Korea’s presence in the news this year. With Donald Trump large and in charge from his Mar-a-Lago golf course and Kim Jong-Un burrowed away in deepest Pyongyang, it’s been 12 months of escalating tensions interspersed with the occasional period of quiet relief.

Josh Baines — 11 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Multi-faceted designers Studio Bergini hops between projects with a cool, clean elegance

A few weeks back now, on a particularly gloomy Sunday, It’s Nice That found themselves ambling around Hackney Wick. We were on our way to a friend’s birthday party at a beanbag-filled audiophile bar and took a wrong turning. Nestled amongst the greys and browns of a part of London that’s still not quite sure how redeveloped it wants to be, we heard the gentle hum of old printers whirring away into the heavy afternoon air.

Josh Baines — 11 December 2018
Work / Illustration For Ginko Yang “drawing creates the same effects as a mental massage”

Designer Ginko Yang was born in a semitropical town of Southern China. A few years later, she spent five years in Beijing before embarking on a new creative adventure in London. But it seems that no matter where Ginko is based, the act of “drawing creates the same effects as a mental massage," she tells It’s Nice That, and, as a result, Ginko’s turned her attention away from graphic design to illustration, after years of working as a magazine designer.

Jyni Ong — 10 December 2018

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