(Illustrations of Eustace Tilley, The New Yorker, n.d.)
The work of graphic designer Tim Boelaars is simplistic yet striking. Boelaars is based in Amsterdam and his work largely revolves around icons which portray messages. He uses simple lines and usually a carefully selected, minimal palette of colours to make his work pop and stand out. One piece of Boelaars’ work that has particularly caught my eye in the past is his interpretation of Eustace Tilley, the iconic dandy of ‘The New Yorker’ magazine. I believe that this work captures the history of the original image, whilst still portraying a modern message which connects to a contemporary audience. On his website, Tim quotes that he strives to ‘make things that are simple and striking and strong enough to feel like forever’ (Tim Boelaars, timboelaars.com). This is exactly what gives his work substance. It brings together new and old techniques to create design that both tells a story and is durable.
(Walls, 2017)
A second artist who I wish to discuss is ‘Maldo’. He is an illustrator from Prague who works in a conceptual way. I am especially drawn to his work due to his bold approach at shaping design. Similarly to Boelaars, Maldo uses a restricted colour scheme throughout his work, usually consisting of only two or three different tones in each piece. This technique really appeals to me, as it strips back the facade to reveal a story behind each piece. To replace colour, Maldo often uses patterns to create texture in his work, which I believe also helps us to connect to and appreciate the simplicity of his design.
(Two Men, Rob Bailey Studio, n.d.)
The third designer I have chosen to look at is Rob Bailey. I first encountered Bailey’s work through the social media site ‘Instagram’, and was instantly drawn to his effective, minimalistic style. He uses stripped back shapes, usually layered on top of one another in flat colour to create images of people and objects. His modest approach to design really appeals to me, especially in some of his pieces which hide hidden social and cultural messages. He subtly explores issues such as homosexuality and social expression in his work that are sometimes hard to recognise at first, but when seen tell a story through just one simple image.
Image 1 and Quote- Illustrations of Eustace Tilley, the iconic dandy of The New Yorker. (n.d.). [image] Available at: http://www.timboelaars.nl/the-new-yorker [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].
Image 2- ‘Walls’. (2017). [image] Available at: http://www.maldo.me/ [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].
Image 3- Two Men, (2017). [image] Available at: https://robbailey.studio/ [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].