Visual Communication

Hjertstedt takes a very digital approach to composition. ‘These pieces are mostly an experimentation with 3D software – all fairly quick.’ The swiftly rendered abstract forms combine uncanny architecture and still life. fssssssk.tumblr.com

Our pick of the designers, illustrators and typographers breaking the multidisciplinary mould of visual language

Writers: Jonathan Bell and Sam Rogers

Laar’s design approach is based on the ‘cycle of creating’ and is set out in his final manifesto-like project, a series of abstract forms that can be arranged to create letters – ‘the font will vary each time it is realised’. He now has his own studio.

Celas communicates the idea of home and place through her hand-drawn series Private Landscapes, conjuring up elaborate, imaginary spaces. Celas hopes to continue to experiment with medium, format and subject.

Kubski’s master’s at ÉCAL saw the designer create a magazine, Domesticate, exploring human-animal interactions – from owls for rent to wildlife photography. ‘It allowed me to mix photography, design, illustration and editorial,’ she says.

For his take on Russian Constructivism, Sebei used architectural imagery of contemporary Moscow. ‘I considered photography as graphic shapes, mixed with type to create hybrid images.’ He is now studying art direction at ÉCAL.

In Basterfield’s hands, the ballet The Four Temperaments is represented by colour, space and form in a series of meticulously planned geometric screenprints, ‘situated on that blurry line between art and design’.

Martyniuk’s ‘Nice Posters’ series explores typography and graphic form, while the designer’s conceptual social media project, ‘Stroll’, brings digital connectivity to the pleasures of taking a walk.

Illustrator Douglas brings a fine art sensibility to his vibrant collages, such as the Risograph-printed Collector. ‘By using collage I am trying to flatten everything I encounter around me into a concise whole,’ he explains.

Music is the generative force in Fiant’s Face B project. Making use of the Processing programming language, she translated sound into visual design. ‘It’s a new way to listen to music,’ she says.

It is a widely recognised truth that the print medium is in decline, so why create a project dedicated to it? ‘Because it is worth saving,’ says Sara Sturges. With Printernet, Sturges brings the best of both the digital and physical worlds together. Her innovative publishing concept allows users to curate their own newsfeeds, transforming them into unique, printed publications. ‘I believe that there is immense value in offering consumers the ability to have their own internet content, well designed in a considered way and presented in a tangible, simple and easy to read format,’ she explains.

Using a fragmentary process of image-making, Christmann created a book of collaged chapters, faking film stills and mixing them with originals to create a narrative of idleness. She currently runs Studio Pandan with Ann Richter.

Andreasson uses bold, flat colour and minimal detailing to create characterful portraits, here of the Eameses, and images. ‘I sometimes refer to historical artworks, juxtaposing them with more contemporary phenomena,’ she says.

After graduating with an MFA from Yale, Nelson set up his own book design studio, Making Known, in Minneapolis, pushing graphics into experimental new realms with self-generated publications and design exercises.