Designers We Love: Frank Conradie

INTERVIEWED BY Lindi Brownell Meiring

Frank Conradie is a successful illustrator, designer and co-founder of Run Rabbit Run studio in Cape Town. He’s also a former Design Indaba Emerging Creative (2014) and has exhibited work both locally and internationally. We decided to catch up with him to see what’s been happening.

What do you love most about illustration?

It gives my brain some time to be creative. It’s too easy to get stressed out fitting in all the (almost always) boring details of an infographic and to worry about deadlines. With illustration I feel more creative, playing around with various styles. It also always seems to be a learning experience and that way you grow as an artist.

Most importantly, it’s fun. I believe the more fun you have with it, the more it will show in the final artwork.

Describe your design style in three words.

Playful, vibrant and engaging.

Which designers (both local and international) inspire you?

One doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration, as we have an amazing line-up of creative talent in and from SA. Daniel Ting Chong, Jade Klara, Gerhard Human, Ben Johnston, Linsey Levendall are just a few of those that inspire me. International artists like McBess, Hey Studio, Mother Volcano and Invisible Creature push me to be better at what I do.

Which project have you most enjoyed working on, and why?

Designing last year’s range of winter wear for our Run Rabbit Run brand was fun and a great learning experience. Being able to see and feel the final product as wearable illustrative pieces was very satisfying.

What projects are you currently working on?

Currently I am working at Wonderland Collective in the Woodstock Exchange, and I am also in the process of designing some new winter wear for 2015.

Find more of Frank’s work at hellomrfrank.co.za.