Welcome back to our Diversity in Design series on Envato Tuts+. Discover three talented artists with inspiring styles you’ll love.
3 Artists You Should Know: Diversity in Design
Celebrate
the work of these extraordinary artists. Each with their own unique
background, they draw inspiration from their culture and surroundings to
create phenomenal designs.
Vikki Zhang
Our first artist is Vikki Zhang, a New York based illustrator originally from China. Her phenomenal watercolor paintings tell intricate stories of the past, while celebrating her incredible skill and technique.
See more in her portfolio and follow her on Instagram.
Lucky Number 7
I was born and grew up in China, where I got my early art
education in traditional Chinese painting. I came to New York to study in 2016 and since then I learnt how to be an artist and how to create
original works.When I was a kid I began dreaming of making picture books by myself. I
am not satisfied by just being a reader. At my 18, I published my first
children’s book in Beijing, and this experience brought me to this
industry.
Back to 1920s
Before talking about inspiration, I would say confidence is the premise.
At least from my experience and understanding, one has to be sensitive
and open-minded to get inspired. And only when you start trusting your
intuition, respecting your ideas, and loving your differences, you could feel
what is happening around you, and capture the subtle joy or agony inside
you.
Another source of inspiration for me is literature, especially some contemporary
Chinese and Japanese writers’ works. Folklore, myth and fairy tales
attract me all the time, the stories of creating them are even more
interesting for me.
Back to 1920s
Red Chair
My favorite paintings are from the Song Dynasty.
Chinoiserie artworks provide me ideas too. When I was a teenager, I
was fond of reading magazines that featured Japanese manga and
illustrations. Japanese illustrators did a great job at enriching their
traditional art with modern contents and trendy techniques from today.
But I believe the style came from something invisible, not the form or subject matter. Currently, I am interested in the relationship between
individuals and society, family, space and time.
Yemi Fetch
Next is Yemi Fetch, a fantastic lettering artist and creative designer from Lagos, Nigeria. His clean lettering style uses creative shapes and colors to highlight quotes and logos, while also capturing important themes from life.
See more in his portfolio.
Custom Illustrative Lettering
I am currently the Creative Director of Freak Creative House, a
design studio that offers professional design and advertising services
to SMEs.
Illustrative Types
My knack for lettering started when I was a kid. I
suffered a severe speech impediment, so I would rather draw letters on
the cover of my notebooks than go through the struggle of starting a
conversation with anyone. This inadvertently helped me to be more
expressive. Today, it’s become my profession. I share stories that
resonate with a target audience through illustrative custom lettering.
Slick Type
Lagos
I get the urge to create after talking with people. I guess this happens
a lot because I’m so emotional. I realized that most people have a lot
they want to share but could hardly express it. Through lettering I am
able to give a voice to brands, people and organizations. For me,
lettering helps engage and connect better with people.
Raul “Boogie” Caracoza
Our final feature belongs to Raul “Boogie” Caracoza, a talented graphic designer and brand developer from LA. This father of three creates stunning digital portraits of inspiring artists and leaders like Frida Kahlo and Barak Obama.
See more in his portfolio and follow him on Instagram.
Young Frida
I am a 38 years of age, father of three sons, one of whom is interested in
graphic art himself. I worked in radio for four years
but the relationships I built there are what allowed me to start to
work for myself.
H.E.R.
I am constantly expanding my knowledge of the ever-changing graphics
field and understand the importance of communicating a client’s style
and personality through my work.
Nipsey Hussle
Barack H. Obama
Fun fact: I watch HBO’s How to Make it in America all the way through at least once a year for inspiration.
Most of my current inspiration comes from music and just anything that
I’m into. I look up to a lot of illustrators. Not one specifically but
if I see something, anything, anywhere I can get inspired. I love to
collaborate with other creatives on projects. Most people are starting
to recognize my illustration and design style which does make me proud
but at the same time makes me want to switch things up when I can.
Celebrate Diversity! Send Us Your Favorite Artists!
Help us find more incredible artists from different backgrounds to share with our audience! Tweet me your recommendations at MelloNieves or use the hashtags #artforall and #tutsplusdesign on Twitter and Instagram. You never know, we may just feature you in our next article!
Love this selection? See more from this series:
IllustrationArt for All: Celebrate Diversity in Design—Volume 23Melody Nieves
Global InfluencesArt for All: Celebrate Diversity in Design—Volume 21Melody Nieves
I’d
like to extend a warm thank you to all the artists who participated in
this feature. Feel free to see more of their work at the links below:
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