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Championing creativity

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

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Work / Illustration

Byzantine landscapes in brilliant detail from South Africa-based illustrator Jean de Wet

Words by Bryony Quinn, Tuesday 10 July 2012

Look! Lovely clear line illustration with an incredible surface quality from South Africa-based Jean de Wet. In a reserved palate of one or two colours, Jean depicts epic jungle scenes, teenage prophets and mystical mud swamps in large-scale, one pager, byzantine narratives. They are a wonderful feat of foliage, architecture, imagination and characters who blend seamlessly into their environments and, for the reader, they’re a total trip.

Jean-de-wet-honest_ecuador_jean — Jean de Wet: Honest Chocolates

Jean-de-wet-wolves_flyer — Jean de Wet: Hover Mountain

Jean-de-wetthe_peasants_dream — Jean de Wet: The Peasant’s Dream

Jean-de-wety — Jean de Wet: “..who goes theyre”

Jean-de-wet-1 — Jean de Wet: Atomic Transmutations

www.jeandewet.com

Most Recent

For Ginko Yang “drawing creates the same effects as a mental massage” 10 December 2018
Pop culture powerhouse Bryan Rivera's 2018 in graphic design 10 December 2018
Don't worry, be angry: how politics and creativity collided in 2018 10 December 2018
Maurice Andresen is reimagining Glasgow’s non-spaces as an ethereal world 10 December 2018
Vice magazine's creative team talks us through its new and unexpectedly different redesign 10 December 2018
Julia Falkner and Lorena Hydeman document boys playing with gender for the first time 10 December 2018

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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
Work / Illustration Alex Gamsu Jenkins’ comics remind us of how gross we really are

Illustrator Alex Gamsu Jenkins’ latest works are absolutely gross. But in the way we’re all gross, spot popping, alarm ignoring, sleepy, procrastinating people deep down. Earlier in the year, we caught up with Alex on his surreal one-panel personal works and now the south London-based illustrator has expanded these pieces into short comics and the results will have you in stitches as your eyes flip across each panel of four.

Lucy Bourton — 06 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Designer Berke Yazicioglu “makes images that have a capacity for sound”

Despite being a visual creative, Berke Yazicioglu’s biggest influences all come from music. “I’m more compelled to make work out of things I’ve heard,” he tells It’s Nice That, and in turn, Berke “makes images that have a capacity for sound.” The east London-based designer trained as a painter, but now applies a painterly sense of expression through design and animation.

Jyni Ong — 05 December 2018
Work / Illustration Illustrator Inji Seo discusses the differences in producing personal and commercial work

For illustrators, the transition from creating mainly personal work, to mainly commissions is a desirable place to be. To know your illustration practice is in demand and worthy of being in admirable magazines is highly rewarding, however, it can also be daunting to move into commercial spheres where there are clients to please and targets to meet. The illustrator Inji Seo has smoothly made this transition in the last year, not only does her work look great spread across glossy magazines such as Elephant, it has also matured and improved, seeing deeper experimentation with composition and colour.

Jyni Ong — 04 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Miriam Jacobi and Lucas Hesse translate symbiosis using a myriad of visual processes

For a recent project, designers Miriam and Lucas Hesse decided to embark on the tricky task of interpreting symbiosis via graphic design. If you’re a little lost, symbiosis is “a close interaction between two different biological organisms” and the ideal route of visualising this scientific subject saw the duo utilise both illustration and typographic messaging.

Lucy Bourton — 03 December 2018
Work / Illustration João Sobral has a soft spot for depicting “losers or weirdos who’ve been mistreated by the system”

“I don’t use the word ‘illustration to refer to what I do”, says João Sobral, “although I don’t really mind when other people do it. I think the meaning of the word is very broad nowadays and different people use it to mean different things which is fine. But, if I’m asked to label my practice, I’d say I’m a cartoonist and visual artist because I mainly make comics and drawings for personal work.”

Jyni Ong — 30 November 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
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Pop culture powerhouse Bryan Rivera's 2018 in graphic design

New Yorker Bryan Rivera has had another huge year. A true pop culture powerhouse, his work has adorned some of 2018’s biggest records, with everyone from Post Malone to Nao being given a visual re-rub by one of the most in-demand designers working today.

Jyni Ong — 10 December 2018
Regulars / Review of the Year 2018 Don't worry, be angry: how politics and creativity collided in 2018

In the first of our Review of the Year op-eds, It’s Nice That editor Matt Alagiah casts an eye over the interplay between politics and creativity over the past 12 months.

Matt Alagiah — 10 December 2018
Work / Animation Maurice Andresen is reimagining Glasgow’s non-spaces as an ethereal world

“My practice focuses on the otherworldly," says Glasgow-based animator Maurice Andresen. The creation of ethereal environments and mystical characters is Maurice’s speciality as he merges hyper-real renders of urban landscapes with surreal, alien-like characters to create a sense of displacement amongst what we think we know.

Jyni Ong — 10 December 2018
Work / Publication Vice magazine's creative team talks us through its new and unexpectedly different redesign

Pretty much every magazine reader, writer, editor or designer has some kind of relationship with Vice. And, while considered a multi-media publishing conglomerate by most, its print iteration still has a relatively small team working hard to ensure the physical embodiment of Vice still has a publication fanatics seeking it out and picking it up.

Lucy Bourton — 10 December 2018
Work / Photography Julia Falkner and Lorena Hydeman document boys playing with gender for the first time

Through a series of events, housemates Julia Falkner and Lorena Hydeman found themselves styling the 11-year-old nephew of a friend in clothes from their suitcases, photographing him as he discovered a new world of gender expression. The experience proved formative – both for young Kai and the duo – and it sparked what would become Julia (a photographer) and Lorena’s (a stylist) recently released series Blah Blah Genitals.

Ruby Boddington — 10 December 2018

Work / Photography Max Miechowski’s sun-drenched photos reveal the strength of diverse communities

“This summer was just a dream, and I hope that these images help to capture a little bit of that,” says photographer Max Miechowski of his latest series Burgess Park. “After moving to southeast London in 2017, Burgess Park became one of my favourite places in the city,” he continues. “The atmosphere there is like nothing I had experienced before, and I felt drawn to spend time in the park and to photograph the space and its community.”

Ruby Boddington — 07 December 2018
Work / Publication Bigfoot News is a self-published news bulletin for the homeless, by the homeless

Despite the fact that Stuart Perkins is homeless, over the past seven years he has used whatever default resources available, to maintain a creative practice in the form of a news bulletin about homelessness titled Bigfoot News. A champion of self-publishing, Stuart uses internet cafes and Microsoft Publisher, along with a whole load of hand-collaging to create his bulletins that truly embody the spirit of an independent practice.

Jyni Ong — 07 December 2018
Work / Publication Robert Darch's series The Moor argues that we are already living in dystopia

The notion of a dystopian society has long provided inspiration for writers, filmmakers and artists. There was of course, George Orwell’s media and information controlled-world in 1984, Anthony Burgess’ satirical and dark exploration of ultra-violent youth culture in A Clockwork Orange, and Masamune Shirow’s mind hacking cyborg-filled Japan in A Ghost in the Shell. The world conjured up in photographer Robert Darch’s upcoming book, The Moor, however, feels much closer to home – and far more imminent.

Ruby Boddington — 07 December 2018
Regulars / Friday Mixtape Friday Mixtape: Benedikt Luft's mix of tunes from his teenage years

Frankfurt-based illustrator and designer Benedikt Luft has been a long time friend of us here at It’s Nice That. Writing about his practice over the years, it wasn’t until we went to Eike König’s After School Club in Benedikt’s home during the summer that he ended up telling us about his love for music. He might have even been dragged into singing a karaoke rendition of The Smiths Bigmouth Strikes Again to an audience of attendees, who then cleared the room, with us too… sorry Eike and everyone who witnessed that.

Lucy Bourton — 07 December 2018
Work / Printed Pages Sophie Koko Gate on illustrating social media’s influence on art criticism

“Social media is changing how we think, talk, and write about art — but is it doing it for the better?”

Jyni Ong — 07 December 2018
Work / Set Design Anna Rhodes on designing a time-travelling set for Oscar Hudson's new Absolut advert

Art director and production designer, Anna Rhodes, has a real knack for designing sets for films, adverts and music videos that look inconspicuously real. It’s Anna’s job to take a viewer out of the mindset of watching a staged production and make it look coaxingly real. Through thorough research and a lot of experience, Anna’s the kind of art director who knows what difference a certain prop can make in evoking a time, place or feeling. For Absolut’s new advert, The Walk directed by Oscar Hudson, Anna was tasked with designing not just a room but a whole street travelling through decades of design in New York – and you fully believe it.

Lucy Bourton — 06 December 2018

Work / Graphic Design Shun Ishizuka's designs combine Western design influences for a Japanese context

Shun Ishizuka never trained in graphic design. While studying literature at Tokyo’s Waseda University Shun started making flyers for his friends. Since this springboard into print, he’s worked in commercial design making paraphernalia such as cards, invitations and envelopes, and currently works as a freelance designer in the cultural sector. “Now I’m working with musicians, artists, curators and theatre companies”, Shun tells It’s Nice That. “I’m lucky that my clients are all interesting creatives. We collaborate very closely which means I’m free to work in an experimental way," tackling most of the supporting visuals for his client’s work.

Jyni Ong — 06 December 2018
Work / Illustration Alex Gamsu Jenkins’ comics remind us of how gross we really are

Illustrator Alex Gamsu Jenkins’ latest works are absolutely gross. But in the way we’re all gross, spot popping, alarm ignoring, sleepy, procrastinating people deep down. Earlier in the year, we caught up with Alex on his surreal one-panel personal works and now the south London-based illustrator has expanded these pieces into short comics and the results will have you in stitches as your eyes flip across each panel of four.

Lucy Bourton — 06 December 2018
Work / Publication Hart Lëshkina builds a surreal version of reality in its photographs

Based in Los Angeles, Tati and Erik AKA Hart Lëshkina is a photographic duo who – over the past four and a half years – has established a dream-like and surreal world for its subjects to inhabit. At times ambiguous and often imbued with a sense of melancholy, the pair has an innate ability to fabricate and construct realities.

Ruby Boddington — 06 December 2018
Work / Publication Urban Pamphleteer #7 shares narratives from London's LGBTQ+ night-time spaces

Issue seven of Urban Pamphleteer gathers “perspectives, provocations and vignettes on London’s LGBTQ+ night-time spaces”. The publication was founded in 2013 by Rebecca Ross and Ben Campkin as an experiment into “the boundaries and public-ness of university-based publishing.” Now in its seventh issue, the magazine continues the tradition of radical pamphleteering, confronting themes in contemporary urban debate from a wide range of perspectives. With an aim to empower and inform citizens to “positively shape change”, Rebecca and Ben discuss the latest issue of Urban Pamphleteer, which they co-edited with Lo (Laura) Marshall.

Jyni Ong — 06 December 2018
Regulars / Printed Pages Printed Pages AW18 feat. Sascha Lobe, Alex Prager, Hassan Hajjaj and more is out now

Good news! Printed Pages AW18 hits the shelves of bookshops around the world today. As always, this latest issue is our curated view of the best creative work we’ve seen in the past six months.

It's Nice That — 06 December 2018
Work / Exhibition Riposte's line-up for exhibition with Amnesty International is ridiculously good

Every issue of Riposte magazine presents the most honest, uplifting and smart women but in a style that is in no way intimidating – it’s inviting. Through both the commissioning of its writing and creative output, Riposte is a comforting nook in the scene of independent publishing that encourages readers to be the best version of themselves, flaws and all. Outside of its printed pages, the magazine is expanding its ethos in both events and partnerships and the most exciting to date is with Amnesty International. Titled Protection, the new exhibition and event programme featuring women and non-binary artists celebrates the 70th anniversary of the declaration of human rights.

Lucy Bourton — 05 December 2018

Work / Fashion Agnes Choi’s latest collection weaves nostalgia and memory into fashion

Fashion designer Agnes Choi is re-inserting the quintessential look of East Asia’s older generations for a contemporary audience. For anyone that is a fan of the accidental Asian hipster look or the Asian grandma chic aesthetic (myself included), Agnes’ latest collection Limination, draws on themes of cultural nostalgia to inform her fashion collection.

Jyni Ong — 05 December 2018
Work / Animation The animated short giving Isle of Dogs a run for its money

Ah, the self-initiated brief. We all remember this, the term in university when you’re finally left to your own devices to create something that’s truly you. But, maybe, the course you’ve chosen led you down a path where the creative disciplines that are piquing your interest are on the periphery of the subject that your degree is titled. This was the case for Ieuan Lewis and George Warren, two graphic design students at Kingston University who’ve created Uki, a short animation that’s received a nod from the BBC and the BFI, and is giving Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs a run for its money.

Lucy Bourton — 05 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Caleb Halter's instinctual design practice produces considered and refined work

“My first experience with design was at age 12 when my uncle installed a copy of Photoshop 6 on the family computer,” recalls Massachusetts-based designer Caleb Halter, “I taught myself how to use it, and would spend hours totally abusing it, rearranging everyone’s faces in family photos, or designing (shitty) imaginary jerseys for my favourite basketball teams.” Unsurprisingly, Caleb calls himself a self-taught designer, although this has more to do with the fact that he chose to forgo art school, and less to do with this early introduction to the medium.

Ruby Boddington — 05 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design Designer Berke Yazicioglu “makes images that have a capacity for sound”

Despite being a visual creative, Berke Yazicioglu’s biggest influences all come from music. “I’m more compelled to make work out of things I’ve heard,” he tells It’s Nice That, and in turn, Berke “makes images that have a capacity for sound.” The east London-based designer trained as a painter, but now applies a painterly sense of expression through design and animation.

Jyni Ong — 05 December 2018
Regulars / Bookshelf Thomas Traum's Bookshelf provides a glimpse into his thoughtful and pragmatic practice

“I am not a collector of design books even though I appreciate books,” director Thomas Traum tells It’s Nice That, “My visual culture is no longer shaped by books. (But avoiding to be pigeonholed here, it’s certainly not shaped by Instagram either).” The creative force behind Traum Inc, Thomas and his team create still and moving images with an explorative digital approach. Working in the industry for over ten years, Thomas has helped spearhead an aesthetic which has seen him work with the likes of Kenzo, Nike and Chanel.

Ruby Boddington — 05 December 2018
Regulars / Nicer Tuesdays Tickets for Nicer Tuesdays December now available!

A week before Christmas, on 18 December, we’ll host our last Nicer Tuesdays of 2018. Following a year of countless brilliant talks across all creative disciplines, we thought it was only right to go out with a bang.

It's Nice That — 04 December 2018

Work / Graphic Design Corners’ graphic design work exemplifies the beautiful language of Han-gul

Seoul-based graphic design studio Corners puts the client first. Its tailored practice, led by founding designers Hyojoon and Daewoong, crafts each project around the client’s needs and direction. That being said, Hyojoon says Corners’ “favourite kinds of projects are ones where we can work with people who can talk about design and projects clearly," he tells It’s Nice That. Along with two Risograph printing machines and 23 different coloured drums, the studio has a broad output with a particular interest in print and its manufacturing process.

Jyni Ong — 04 December 2018
Work / Publication Then There Was Us' look-back at the World Cup is fond, celebratory and democratic

The World Cup seems like a lifetime ago now. As we continue to crank up the central heating here in the It’s Nice That studio, we cling onto memories of that blisteringly hot month where England nearly made it. Luckily, we don’t have to strain too hard as a new publication brings together a selection of images chronicling the trials and tribulations of the world’s most anticipated tournament.

Ruby Boddington — 04 December 2018
Work / Graphic Design DIA channels NYC and gives Squarespace its signature kinetic treatment in brand refresh

When we think of tech and the companies that produce and work with it, Silicon Valley – not New York City – generally springs to mind. For Squarespace (SQSP), however, NYC has always been home and it’s this unique fact which DIA Studio has utilised in designing its recent brand refresh. Launched yesterday (3 December), the entirely kinetic identity system channels a style which is distinctively Squarespace, making reference to New York’s modernism, fashion, and technology.

Ruby Boddington — 04 December 2018
Work / Illustration Illustrator Inji Seo discusses the differences in producing personal and commercial work

For illustrators, the transition from creating mainly personal work, to mainly commissions is a desirable place to be. To know your illustration practice is in demand and worthy of being in admirable magazines is highly rewarding, however, it can also be daunting to move into commercial spheres where there are clients to please and targets to meet. The illustrator Inji Seo has smoothly made this transition in the last year, not only does her work look great spread across glossy magazines such as Elephant, it has also matured and improved, seeing deeper experimentation with composition and colour.

Jyni Ong — 04 December 2018
Feature / Graphic Design Laughing at the world of graphic design with Tracy Ma

Designer Tracy Ma’s creative career, and life really, has followed an ongoing process of reinvention. It’s an approach those familiar with her work will be able to spot, because she doesn’t tackle the job of a designer – whatever that really means – like any of the caricatures who increasingly populate the industry. It’s Tracy’s wit which allows her to see the often earnest attitude to graphic design as one big joke, even if no one else gets the punchline.

One of the designer’s first jobs was at Bloomberg Businessweek, where a three-month stint became a five-year job. Between 2011–2016 Tracy worked her way up to deputy creative director, ultimately working on over 200 issues. Throughout her time at the publication her visual output chopped and changed in style, but the sense of humour was consistent; she’s perpetually contextually clever with content. When provided with visuals that were “often scarce or shitty,” she’d utilise the potential of typography as an image. In her current position as visual editor at The New York Times’ style desk, Tracy continues an approach to editorial which puts the reader’s engagement first. In the run-up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day, her first Times piece saw her design an extensive – and comical – FAQ of “everything you wanted to know” about the royal wedding. Question 27 asks “Would it be at all possible to surf this website without such cutting-edge art direction?”. The answer it displays? No. Obviously.

Lucy Bourton — 04 December 2018
Work / Art Evan Roth's latest artwork gets to the bottom of the internet's deep roots

We’d wager a substantial sum of money that most of you reading this have never really considered how it is possible you’re reading this. Like television or the limitless supply of pepperoni slices at your local Pizza Hut buffet, the Internet is something that just happens.

Josh Baines — 04 December 2018

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