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Championing creativity

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

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Work / Illustration

Playful gifs with a surreal slant from Venezuelan illustrator Igor Bastidas

Words by Rebecca Fulleylove, Tuesday 21 June 2016

Based in Caracas, Venezuelan illustrator and animator Igor Bastidas has a penchant for the bold and the surreal. His odd ideas are presented through technicolour and strange characters but there’s a loveable charm to his work. Throughout his portfolio, Igor’s style shifts slightly between projects and often alternates between outlined forms and looser shapes. Yet the connecting thread is an undeniable sense of fun and playfulness.

He recently created a series of gifs to illustrate his favourite quotes by famous creatives for AIGA and these blocky, Crazy Bones-like characters breathe life into otherwise static quotes. In other works he uses gifs again to showcase snippets from his animations offering a new perspective as single, repeating motifs. Igor brings his amusing and intriguing moments with inviting colour palettes together in smooth, well-timed sequences. From an alphabet created out of everyday scenarios and people to a 30-second short for a travel agent, we can’t wait to see where his next project takes him.

Igor-bastidas-int-2-compressor — Igor Bastidas: AIGA

Igor-bastidas-int-1-compressor — Igor Bastidas: AIGA

Igor-bastidas-int-6-compressor — Igor Bastidas: Letters and numbers

Igor-bastidas-int-5-compressor — Igor Bastidas: Letters and numbers

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Most Recent

Atelier Brenda reveals who Brenda actually is at June's Nicer Tuesdays 19 July 2018
Audun Alvestad creates tender paintings of the “ordinary Joe” 19 July 2018
Jordy Ringeling's designs reinterpret the obscure (and suggest we should stop breeding) 19 July 2018
“I’m a born again Cliff fan”: Photographer Robin Mellor on snapping avid Cliff Richard fans 19 July 2018
Emily Stein's latest series tells the story of Akemi and her 100 Kimonos 19 July 2018
Samuel Napper explores the psychologically strenuous period emergency workers face before a disaster 18 July 2018

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Work / Illustration Nadine Redlich’s new book illustrates the moment you realise you actually hate your partner

Illustrator Nadine Redlich is a creative we, and practically everyone else, absolutely loves. Nadine’s work is ridiculously relatable. It covers hangovers, procrastination, general self-doubt and everything in between. But it doesn’t do it in an illustrative style that’s too close to home; instead, she designs squidgy sweet characters like a blunt-faced rock or a cheeky little blob. But, watch out loved-up couples, Nadine’s new book I hate you… you just don’t know it yet, is here to point out some of the best and worst parts of any relationship.

Lucy Bourton — 16 July 2018
Work / Illustration Sophy Hollington’s striking tarot deck combines mysticism with a glam-punk contemporary twist

It’s no secret that It’s Nice That is an admirer of Sophy Hollington’s illustrations. In this instance, the artist has collaborated with writer, David Keenan for Rough Trade Books, to create a beautiful linocut tarot deck that retains its mystic roots but also displays a glam-punk contemporary twist.

Emma Latham Phillips — 16 July 2018
Work / Illustration Erin Aniker's quietly radical, feminist illustrations remind us that activism doesn't have to be loud

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Erin Aniker’s work takes a feminist stance. “My mum was always going to marches for Turkish and Kurdish women’s rights,” she says, “she marched with IMECE Women’s centre in Dalston. There would always be some kind of protest boards lying around at home and she used to take me and my brothers on the marches since we were babies, and strap the protest banners to our buggy”.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018
Work / Illustration Anu Ambasna's playful illustrations celebrate club culture, brown bodies and perfect paunches

“Club culture influences my work in a subliminal way – if I see someone in a club wearing a string vest, I’ll most likely end up drawing them that week without even realising”. Illustrator and DJ Anu Ambasna is discussing how music unwittingly influences the work that she makes; however, despite designing flyers for club nights and hosting her own show on east London internet station NTS radio, music is just an accompaniment, rather than top billing.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018
Work / Exhibition Beci Orpin and Carla McRae’s exhibition, Out of Bounds, explores the notion of play

Beci Orpin and Carla McRae have collaborated on an exhibition at Boom Gallery that explores the notion of “play”. Play is an essential part of childhood — that “time spent without purpose in exploration, losing track of the hours”. However, as we get older expectation entails that we grow out of it. For their joint exhibition, Beci and Carla look to explore “the way that these spaces can be cultivated as adults and how we can tap back into those headspaces. Because they’re still there”, they tell It’s Nice That, “they’ve just shifted forms”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 11 July 2018
Work / Illustration María Ramos' illustrations turn picnic food into an assortment of cheeky characters

While we’re constantly surprised (and pleased) by the oddly-elongated bout of sunny days we’re experiencing here in England, long days of sun are a regular occurrence for Spanish illustrator María Ramos. There’s nothing better than a picnic on days like this, and María agrees, illustrating a lunch full of character in her latest book, Picnic, published by Fulgencio Pimentel.

Lucy Bourton — 09 July 2018

Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Atelier Brenda reveals who Brenda actually is at June's Nicer Tuesdays

Get tickets for July’s Nicer Tuesdays here!

It's Nice That — 19 July 2018
Work / Art Audun Alvestad creates tender paintings of the “ordinary Joe”

Audun Alvestad paints the unexpected, in the sense that he depicts moments that most forget about. His art is repetitively filled with variations of the “ordinary Joe” — light, pink men, rounded, hairy and often speckled with tattoos. They’re pictured drinking an evening glass of wine, taking a shower, ironing a shirt, eating dinner or having a smoke. This seemingly harmless and often melancholic character is certainly not a figure we’ve seen represented across art history; and as the contemporary world highlights continual issues with toxic masculinity, his is a figure being quickly left behind. “As our world is changing, so do our expectations and ideas about what we should be or how we should live”, Audun explains. “I enjoy to play and explore these ideas about society, gender roles and other social structures”.

Audun’s art celebrates the banalities of everyday life. “I am a routine enthusiast," he tells It’s Nice That. “I like my coffee and a cigarette in the morning". The characters he depicts are familiar; he could be the bloke from next door. “I have a tendency to make up stories about the people I encounter”, he tells us. “From these ideas, I somehow end up building fictional characters that I use for my paintings”. However, this repeated motif is not symbolic of one individual, “but rather something more general he or she represents”, the artist explains. “Creating generic archetypes gives me more space to play with painterly or formal aspects”. As the figure appears so often, our eyes are turned to other qualities in the painting, the narrative and the painterly techniques.

Emma Latham Phillips — 19 July 2018
Work / Graphic Design Jordy Ringeling's designs reinterpret the obscure (and suggest we should stop breeding)

Although when he first discovered the world of graphic design, Jordy Ringeling wanted to “make cool Photoshop collages and show off the new brush sets I had downloaded,” his practice has now developed into something much more intricate and perceptive. Having studied the subject at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, he “quickly became attracted to the cultural responsibility of the designer, the real world implications it can have, and the ideas you can push through visual communication”. Now based in Haarlem in the Netherlands, Jordy’s work reinterprets the obscure, producing meticulously researched projects that span editorial design, identities and digital work.

Ruby Boddington — 19 July 2018
Work / Photography “I’m a born again Cliff fan”: Photographer Robin Mellor on snapping avid Cliff Richard fans

Last summer photographer Robin Mellor was visiting a psychedelics conference in Greenwich, London. By chance, on the same day in another part of the venue, a very different kind of event was happening: a Cliff Richard concert. Robin has come along with “my camera and a couple of films on the off chance I bumped into some sort of psychedelic wizard,” he tells It’s Nice That, “but the Cliff fans were far more intriguing.”

Lucy Bourton — 19 July 2018
Work / Photography Emily Stein's latest series tells the story of Akemi and her 100 Kimonos

Taken in Essex, photographer Emily Stein’s latest series is a heart-warming tribute to one woman she found online, and who’s story she felt compelled to tell. Titled Akemi’s 100 Kimonos, the photos celebrate 60-year old Akemi, originally from Japan, who moved to England in search of a safer place for her and her young daughter.

Ruby Boddington — 19 July 2018
Work / Photography Samuel Napper explores the psychologically strenuous period emergency workers face before a disaster

Samuel Napper’s series, The Wait, documents the psychologically difficult period emergency workers face before a disaster. It stunningly captures the half-reflective, half-pensive feelings that these subjects experience while on call. The emotion holds clear in their eyes, an adrenaline-inducing mixture of anticipation and sadness. PTSD is predominantly associated with war veterans. However, emergency workers experience similarly harrowing scenes, but their emotional sacrifice is often neglected. Samuel’s project looks to document how these moments in-between can feed into the subjects psyche, affecting them in vastly different ways. The series displays a serene stillness — the calmness before the storm.

Emma Latham Phillips — 18 July 2018

Work / Photography Photographer Jack Johnstone's dreamy images are so soft they're almost otherworldly

Many budding photographers get their start thanks to the helping hand of a family member who shares their passion. Whether it’s a hand-me-down camera or a tutorial on the difference between shutter speed and aperture, it’s often the first step towards what becomes a career. For London-based Jack Johnstone, it was the trips he took with his uncle Andy which introduced him to the medium.

Ruby Boddington — 18 July 2018
Work / Publication Remembrance isn’t just for anniversaries: Off The Block raises awareness for those affected by Grenfell

When Francesco Loy Bell initially started Off The Block it was a lifestyle magazine aiming “to cover new, up-and-coming artists”. However, as soon as Grenfell happened, Francesco realised he could use his creative platform as a voice for change. “We live in a time where publications and art are mostly political, to the extent that, when it isn’t, this is a conscious decision rather than an oversight”, he tells us. “With journalism, there is a responsibility to shine a light on wrongdoing and utilise the platform for good”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 18 July 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf "A bizarre mix of playfulness and seriousness": photographer Daniel Stier's Bookshelf

We’ve long been fans of photographer Daniel Stier’s work here at It’s Nice That – we first wrote about his intriguing, yet altogether beautiful images of everything we love to hate about the British Isles a whopping six years ago. Since then he’s been producing fascinating series after fascinating series. From the bizarre world of scientific research to auditioning actors at the National Youth Theatre, he’s developed a stark, high-flash style that reveals the absurdities of the world we live in.

Ruby Boddington — 18 July 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Robert Rubbish on how he tells anecdotal stories of Soho using illustration

Robert Rubbish, a founding member of the iconic illustration collective Le Gun, took to the Nicer Tuesdays stage in June to discuss his latest project, Spiritus Soho.

It's Nice That — 18 July 2018
Media Partnership / London Design Biennale 2018 Emotional States: why the theme for 2018's London Design Biennale is more important than ever

The theme of the 2018 London Design Biennale, hosted by Somerset House in September of this year, is an undeniably provocative one. Indeed, Emotional States could mean many different things to many different people, let alone designers, artists and those blessed with naturally imaginative, curious minds. Speaking to It’s Nice That, senior curator at MoMA and member of the Biennale’s jury, Paola Antonelli, proffered that that was what made this year so exciting for her: “that’s the beautiful aspect of the theme – that it is very open. There’s a nice ambiguity to it which makes for a lot of possibility.” The theme has been chosen specifically to provoke a broad interpretation from the contributing countries across the world, and to inspire work that covers a wide spectrum of how design affects every aspect of life, be it day-to-day, individual human emotions – from sadness to anger to joy – to the mood of a community, and on an even larger scale: unrest at country-wide level. It’s the scope for designers to challenge the current political, social and economic climates that have such a huge effect on both individual emotional states and nation-states, that interests us most here at It’s Nice That. “The news stories that we are facing are so blatantly important, urgent, and electrifying – for good and for bad – that I think everybody (unless they don’t have a pulse) is really heated up by them” agrees Paola, “and what artists and designers do well is that they channel that energy into proposals and ideas, or demonstrations.” In a time of closing borders, maniacally villainous presidents and Brexit, there are arguably more factors than ever influencing our emotional states, and even more of a need for designers, artists, curators – anyone and everyone, in fact – to channel those emotions into something positive.
Whilst it might seem like a lot of pressure to put on anyone, let alone someone outside of political office, Paola argues – both in our conversation with her and in her 2007 TED talk – that the capacity to incite change is well within designers’ remit, “designers are the biggest synthesisers in the world; what they do is make a synthesis of human needs, current conditions in economy, in materials, in sustainability issues and then what they do in the end, if they’re good, is much more than the sum of their parts.”

Ellie Robertson — 18 July 2018
Work / Advertising Kim Gehrig's latest commercial for Covergirl combines comic chemistry with cosmetic commentary

Having recently worked with clients as diverse as Lurpak, Uber, and Chaka Khan, London-based director Kim Gehrig returns to transatlantic screens this afternoon with a new commercial for American cosmetics brand Covergirl as part of a campaign orchestrated by Droga5.

Josh Baines — 17 July 2018

Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Watch Nicos Livesey explain how he made his embroidered BBC World Cup spot

Animation director and It’s Nice That One to Watch from 2017 Nicos Livesey never takes the easy route on a project. His latest film, the BBC’s promotional video for the 2018 World Cup, was one of his most extravagant works to date, embarking on a mammoth task where each frame would be embroidered, and then animated.

It's Nice That — 17 July 2018
Work / Photography Photographer Niall McDiarmid travels from town to town to capture the essence of Britain

Niall McDiarmid travels up and down the country to capture portraits of the people of Britain. Each image, with their pops of colour and character, beautifully summarises the mood of each place he visits. “It’s an interesting time to be a British photographer”, Niall tells It’s Nice That. “Britain, along with many other European countries, has become much more diverse, and I want to capture that in my own style”. Niall’s project, Town to Town is packed full of people of all ethnicities, sexualities and genders, truly reaching into the heart of Britain.

Emma Latham Phillips — 17 July 2018
Work / Graphic Design Design studio Varv Varv's well-reasoned practice is an enquiry into "making things public"

For a design studio which began life as an ambulating bookshelf, Varv Varv’s output of printed matter is suitably impressive. The culmination of Anders Stockman and Mathew Whittington, who are based in Malmö and London respectively, the studio works across visual identities, websites, typefaces, exhibitions and publications.

Ruby Boddington — 17 July 2018
Work / Publication Radical Essex is a publication that aims to uproot the county’s misguided stereotypes

Essex as a county has been historically judged by misguided stereotypes, summed up in the Spitting Image’s anthem, Essex is Crap. Radical Essex is an ongoing project dating back to 2016 that aims to uproot these malignant categorisations; it “re-examines the history of the county concerning radicalism in thought, lifestyle, politics and architecture, and sheds light on the region’s vibrant, pioneering thinking throughout the twentieth century”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 17 July 2018
Work / Graphic Design Petrichor: a short film about snooker and mental health, beautifully packaged by Housework Press

“I’ve always loved watching snooker. Don’t ask me where I got it from, I’m the only person in my family who’s into it,” explains filmmaker Louis-Jack, “before I even knew the rules, I was just utterly mesmerised by it on the TV.” Based in London, Louis-Jack has recently worked with Bafta-nominated writer Kenny Emson and production company Pavilion – AKA Morgan Faverty and Jake Evans – to concept a film which explores the psychological aspect of snooker, and the toll it often takes on its top players.

Ruby Boddington — 17 July 2018
Work / Photography KangHee Kim's images are as satisfying to create as they are to look at

Photographs by KangHee Kim are known in corners all over the internet. Instantly satisfying but including something just-not-quite-right, her crafted images have garnered a huge following, always stopping people whilst scrolling through feeds.

Lucy Bourton — 16 July 2018

Regulars / Printed Pages Cover Stories: Veronica Ditting on the covers that left a lasting impression on her work

To celebrate the release of Printed Pages SS18, we’ve asked a selection of influential people in creative publishing to choose the seminal book and magazine covers that they loved, and made an impact on them and their work. The publications could be from any time, place or niche of the publishing world. In this series, they’ll tell us why these particular covers left a lasting impression.

Ellie Robertson — 16 July 2018
Work / Art Alix Marie’s photographic sculptures celebrate bodily experiences

Throughout history, the body has always been deemed as a place of abjection, particularly with regards to the female form. Alix Marie’s artwork strives to make us come to terms with our own bodily experiences, forcing us to face what is natural. Breaking away from the narrow western capitalist standards of beauty advertising, Alix aims to “picture bodies genuinely,” she says. “I don’t understand why a scar or a stretch mark has to be considered ugly or disturbing. We all bear witness to events on our skin, and I think it’s important to consider and represent them”. At times grotesque, and definitely enough to make the viewer squeamish, Alix displays magnificent magnified images of the skin — deep purple bruises, pink, plush pimples, wet lips and dried, cracked blemishes.

Emma Latham Phillips — 16 July 2018
Work / Illustration Nadine Redlich’s new book illustrates the moment you realise you actually hate your partner

Illustrator Nadine Redlich is a creative we, and practically everyone else, absolutely loves. Nadine’s work is ridiculously relatable. It covers hangovers, procrastination, general self-doubt and everything in between. But it doesn’t do it in an illustrative style that’s too close to home; instead, she designs squidgy sweet characters like a blunt-faced rock or a cheeky little blob. But, watch out loved-up couples, Nadine’s new book I hate you… you just don’t know it yet, is here to point out some of the best and worst parts of any relationship.

Lucy Bourton — 16 July 2018
Work / Illustration Sophy Hollington’s striking tarot deck combines mysticism with a glam-punk contemporary twist

It’s no secret that It’s Nice That is an admirer of Sophy Hollington’s illustrations. In this instance, the artist has collaborated with writer, David Keenan for Rough Trade Books, to create a beautiful linocut tarot deck that retains its mystic roots but also displays a glam-punk contemporary twist.

Emma Latham Phillips — 16 July 2018
Work / Digital Christopher Golden creates colourful digital environments that utilise visual abnormalities

Christopher Golden, who works under the moniker The Studio Gold, uses CGI and new media platforms to create visual content that “activates architectural and digital landscapes”. Inspired by companies who fit their stores experimentally, such as the Korean brand Gentle Monsters, Christopher is drawn to synthetic spaces. He mimics them, using 3D as a medium or tool “to create digital realism that simulates the real world in a similar way”. His work is hyperrealistic yet at the same time, their vibrant colours and strange movements create anomalies that give the pieces a unique twist. “Abnormalities create pieces that stand out from the crowd”, he tells us, “it’s also a way to provide a signature element that becomes a key component to the overall composition”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 13 July 2018
Work / Illustration Erin Aniker's quietly radical, feminist illustrations remind us that activism doesn't have to be loud

It’s perhaps unsurprising that Erin Aniker’s work takes a feminist stance. “My mum was always going to marches for Turkish and Kurdish women’s rights,” she says, “she marched with IMECE Women’s centre in Dalston. There would always be some kind of protest boards lying around at home and she used to take me and my brothers on the marches since we were babies, and strap the protest banners to our buggy”.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018

Work / Publication Marion Jdanoff explores the historical context of the world's big cats in Léopard = Nuit

For French illustrator Marion Jdanoff, animals are always reoccurring in her work. Fans of hers will notice this too from seeing “dogs and wolves on one hand and big cats on the other, especially tigers and jaguars,” she tells us.

Lucy Bourton — 13 July 2018
Work / Photography Photographer Catherine Losing uses objects to tell stories referencing culture and history

When still life photography is done well, it’s nothing short of captivating. Slick, glossy and often indecipherable in terms of how it has been achieved, it’s subtle and incredibly satisfying. It’s in this space that London-based photographer, Catherine Losing’s work sits. Although her practice spans more than just still lifes (increasingly including moving image as of late), perfectly composed collections of objects are a personal favourite of hers – and ours too.

Ruby Boddington — 13 July 2018
Regulars / Friday Mixtape Friday Mixtape: A world cup special from the It’s Nice That team

It may not be coming home for Eng-ger-land this year, but the World Cup is still on and all is to play for between Croatia vs France this Sunday. It’s been a month of ups and downs, heart-attack inducing penalty shootouts, underdogs rising to the top (that South Korea vs Germany game, my god) and, well, waistcoats.

It's Nice That — 13 July 2018
Work / Photography Peter Franklyn Banks’ series Cromer Pier is a melodic call to the sea

Peter Franklyn Banks’s background in cinema brings a crucial element of storytelling to his photography. His project Cromer Pier documents the pier over several years, with the photographer regularly returning to capture what has changed. “Since my mum moved out to the seaside in Norfolk, I’ve got no family remaining in Nottingham”, the photographer explains. “This project is an attempt to connect with a new identity. As I return every year I see familiar faces and the changes in them; you start to feel like part of that community”. Revisiting a particular subject is a theme seen throughout his work, down to his appreciation for “relationships or community and how they develop over time”. Many photography projects seem to end abruptly, and often you can’t help but long for them to go on, so you can continue following the story and the characters you’ve become so attached to. In this case, “I don’t know where the project ends, but at the moment it feels like I have to keep going back”, Peter comments.

Emma Latham Phillips — 13 July 2018
Work / Illustration Anu Ambasna's playful illustrations celebrate club culture, brown bodies and perfect paunches

“Club culture influences my work in a subliminal way – if I see someone in a club wearing a string vest, I’ll most likely end up drawing them that week without even realising”. Illustrator and DJ Anu Ambasna is discussing how music unwittingly influences the work that she makes; however, despite designing flyers for club nights and hosting her own show on east London internet station NTS radio, music is just an accompaniment, rather than top billing.

Kieran Yates — 13 July 2018
Work / Digital Territory Studio designs media for James Bond experience in the Austrian mountains

Set upon the summit of Gaislachkogl, an icy, snow-capped mountain in Sölden, Austria, a striking new modernist gallery has been built. It houses a breathtaking new exhibit, 007 Elements, the world’s first cinematic installation dedicated to the world of James Bond. The visitor journeys through a series of high tech, interactive galleries, “each distilling the craft of the signature elements that define a Bond film”. It is an immersive, educational experience “that places the guests inside the world of 007 while also revealing how that world is made”.

Emma Latham Phillips — 12 July 2018

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