Illustrators We Love: Ishaarah Arnold

WORDS Lindi Brownell Meiring

Every year, Design Indaba, in association with the Department of Arts and Culture, chooses 40 talented up-and-comers as part of the anticipated Emerging Creatives initiative.

Started in 2005, this programme has helped launch the careers of many successful South African creatives. At this year’s exhibition, held at the Watershed in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, we spotted some local stars we just had to chat to. Up first, illustrator Ishaarah Arnold.

Describe your work in three words.

Emotive graphic drawings.

What do you love about design?

Design communicates. It tells us how to feel, act and react. This means we can use design to shape people’s experiences. I love that design has the power to transform how someone feels for the better.

What did being an Emerging Creative mean to you?

Every time I’ve attended the Design Indaba Festival I have been inspired by the Emerging Creatives. To be part of that group of young designers this year was an absolute honour. Essentially, being an Emerging Creative is every young designer’s dream come true.

Ishaarah is based in Cape Town. She recently graduated from the University of Stellenbosch with a BA (Visual Arts) in Visual Communication Design.

View more of Ishaarah’s illustrations at behance.net/ishaarah.