Artist of the day: Artist of the day, July 18: Jonathan Calugi, Italian Graphic designer, Illustrator

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Artist of the day, July 18: Jonathan Calugi, Italian Graphic designer, Illustrator

Born in Pistoia, Italy, Jonathan Calugi is an illustrator based in Italy and it is from his self-proclaimed chaotic workspace, that he creates his clean illustration and pattern works. Each piece is a take on his quirky child-like doodles with clean minimal lines and simple, uncomplicated colours. It is through these simple visual works, that Jonathan draws in viewers to a basic stand and cultivates appreciation the very epitome of the common phrase of "Less is more". A very good nudge away from what can be a messy and rather perplexing world at times.

Calugi’s work often fixates on intricate, obsessive patterns and eccentric geometric forms that emulate trippy wallpaper motifs. They can be found on products from the fabric purveyor Bon Bon Kakku, and his schematic diagrams are tailor-made for clothing lines like Noodle Park Kid. “Jonathan’s illustrations create detailed worlds that lend themselves to multilayered storytelling,” says Adam Flanagan, a senior designer at 160 over 90 who selected Calugi to participate in the De’ Longhi Artista Series, in which 10 designers laser-etched their own creations onto Perfecta espresso machines. “His illustration gives the user something new to discover with each cup.” In the artwork, letters and words are playfully hidden behind faces, raindrops, and ears.

Calugi’s fonts, which are given vivid names like Umma Gomma and Disco Fat, sport a roly-poly, neohippie vibe that offers an unconditional, childlike hug. He has a pattern called “Bears Are So Bad,” and his T-shirts carry their own brand of innocence too: one slogan, in soft, curved, hand-drawn letters, reiterates the designer’s philosophy, “Spread Love No War No Lawyers Be Freedom.”
“When I create a letter, I think about that letter as a complete world,” he explains. “And when I write a word, I think of the word as an entire universe. When you write with love, you can write many things inside each and every letter. One letter can speak more than an entire book.”

Mr Jonathan Calugi

Artist of the day

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Artist of the day, July 18: Jonathan Calugi, Italian Graphic designer, Illustrator

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