Multi-faceted creative Keith Vlahakis blends a juxtaposition of his skills – street art, illustration, pop art and graphic design, into a hybrid of work that references popular culture and his cultural history. We chat with him about his journey.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your life.

My name is Keith Vlahakis. I’m an Illustrator, Pop Artist, Letterer, Graphic Designer and Street Artist. I like to identify myself as a creative pluralist, I’m constantly chasing the creative high that I get from working on multi-faceted creative projects. I’m inspired by, and influenced heavily by street culture, pop culture, comic books and urban sports. I collect toys, vintage comic books, old sportswear, streetwear jerseys and any form of pop cultural paraphernalia that’s related to my past or that I find inspiring. I spend most of my time drawing and creating in my studio with my cat Rhubarb.

How did you get into your line of art?

I’ve been drawing my whole life, but I really started taking my craft seriously in 1995. I was given an official Marvel Comics Calendar in 95, and I tried to copy all the illustrations in that calendar to make my own posters and decorate/ cover the walls of my room, I consider that moment in 1995 as the inception of my artistic career. School holidays were super boring growing up in the 90s, and I had close to nothing as far as entertainment when I was young, besides reading/drawing comics and watching VHS movies on the weekend if I was lucky. I’m a huge introvert and going outside to hang/play with peers my age didn’t really excite me. The choice was either to waste the days away watching Verimark adverts and Dr Phill/ Judge Judy or to dedicate my life to drawing and making art. I chose art.

I constantly drew and painted as I grew up and experimented with all types of mediums. I studied graphic design after high school and went on to work in the advertising industry for a couple of years. Advertising taught me a lot in terms of marketing, public relations, and how media works. My goal was to win a few awards in the advertising industry, and then use that momentum/buzz to kick-start my freelance illustration career. I won two Loerie awards, 1 for packaging design and the other for hand-crafted typography in 2014, I then left advertising, worked in an illustration studio for like 6 months then resigned again and started my own studio. Thankfully, My studio is doing well and I’ve managed to work on many illustrations and pop culture-related jobs both in SA and overseas. I still work a lot with Advertising agencies, both in SA and abroad, and I have had the opportunity to work on and be part of many international campaigns.

Describe your work in three words.

Neon, Nostalgic and Detailed.

Commissions or your own work?

The sweet balance is when I get to work on a commission that feels like I could have briefed myself on, or that feels like a proactive job.

I’m a firm believer in the notion that, whatever work you put out into the world, people will reference it, and ask you to re-create it or something similar. As long as the content of the job is within my interest, I will enjoy it. This Quote by Confucious has always kept me grounded in my artistic career… “Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.

How do all your facets of art (street art/lettering/illustration) influence each other?

Street art and graffiti influence my typographic style and vice versa, the handcrafted, and digital typographic work influence street artwork because it juxtaposes the norm. Studying old typographers, and the history of type and font designers made me better at painting letters onto walls because my eye and observational skills got better. The range of letters I can spray paint is super vast because I don’t adhere to the rules of graffiti, or new york styled bubble lettering. For example, I could paint a mural inspired by Art Deco-styled typography and Batman “the Animated Series”, when the super gaudy/ art deco styled letters are sprayed large on a wall it juxtaposes their initial meaning and the so-called “rules” of Graffiti and thus creates something new. Something new to me the creator and something new to the viewer/consumer of the art.

The abstract colour and rebellious nature of street art help to keep my design work fresh and upbeat.

Street/ urban culture has always been at the forefront of contemporary creative culture, as long as I stay connected to street culture and focus on what I love, I know my work will be relevant and stand out in a sea of mediocrity. My obsession with comic book characters and comic styles is a huge juxtaposition to what’s trendy in graphic design or commercial illustration, so it stands out and is unusual in an interesting and intriguing way. I try to look at each difference as a strength, my mistakes and nuances in one field are my biggest strengths in another.

What’s your superhero alter ego?

In a superhero landscape, my alter ego would definitely be a Batman Villain. Either the Scarecrow, Carmine Falconi, The Riddler or Bane. Tom Hardy’s Version of Bane though, not the Bane from Batman and Robin.

Typical day in the life of Keith?

I usually wake up super early, sometimes 3 am or 4 am in the morning on a good day. I run or lift weights first, pray and thank God for being alive and the talent I’ve been blessed with, and then start drawing at like 5 am or 6 am. I try to work on my sketchpad for at least an hour every day or second day, as long as I can carve out time. After I work on my sketchbook I get onto the commissioned work. I prefer the early morning or late night to create, as it’s quiet and super peaceful. Mid Morning to later afternoon I’m answering emails and dealing with clients/suppliers while simultaneously watching NBA highlights or NFL highlights. I Lived and worked in the USA for a while and still gravitate more to American sports and urban sports. The NBA and NBA Africa are one of the “dream come true” clients I get to work with, so I try to stay locked into what’s going on in the league. Nighttime is purely for indulging in and consuming good cinema, with friends or sometimes just me and my cat Rhubarb. I love a good movie or comic book podcast, a few pints of beer or bottles of wine, while something is cooking slowly in the background. That’s basically a day in the life of Keith.

How do you rework and incorporate your favourite characters and add your own artistic flair and style into your designs?

I’m constantly thinking about my favourite characters and how their stories can have a direct influence on my work. It’s all about perspective and I ask myself often, “Would you buy this artwork/product you are creating? Would you wear this garment you’re designing? Have I added part of myself into this work or part of my story?”

A good recent example is the character of the city of Gotham. I had a huge studio space earlier in the year but the building I was in was getting old and started to become decrepit, some super scary, dodgy characters roamed the hallways during load shedding, but instead of letting it get me down, I used the building as a motivator to start drawing my version of Gotham. Frank Miller, one of my favourite comic book writers and illustrators, would use the city of New York as a character in his comics. He would open his studio windows wide open to let in the sound of traffic and police cars, turbulence in the city etc. He would try and add that essence into his noir comics, which then gave them an amazing sense of urban grit and realism. That story always stuck with me and I try to use all the elements around me to help give my work greater depth.

Do you have any cool illustrators on your radar in SA?

Illustrators to watch/ on my radar in SA are Mpumelelo Bhengu and Andrea Liang.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I have a huge collaboration with a sportswear giant/brand that I’ve been working on for the last year or so. It’s my Magnum Opus. The biggest collaboration project of my career, blending elements of all my artistic disciplines and interests, that is fashion, illustration, street culture, breakdancing, basketball, typography, storytelling, and underground electronic music. This collaboration will be my main focus and I’m super excited to launch it with the partnering brand.No Spoilers but it’s going to be “Massive”. It’s a dream come true and I’m super excited to share it with the public at large. I will also be working on my comic illustrations, I plan to draw a comic chapter of “Vampirella”, my most recent comic venture, that I hope to share at ComicCon 2024.

Follow Keith on Instagram to check out more of his projects, here.

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Local-born London-based graphic designer and illustrator Justin Poulter gives us the inside scoop on what he believes is good design, how he steers clear of industry trends and how to get out of a creative block.

Tell us how you got into design.

At school, my plan was to be an artist but I decided to take Graphic Design because it seemed like an art adjacent career I could tolerate if I couldn’t crack it as an artist. But, soon after starting the course, I realised that Graphic Design was a very broad discipline that actually included a lot of the art I loved, like skateboard graphics, album art and street art. More specifically, I discovered what seemed like a sweet spot between art and graphic design and this was illustration. I owe a lot to my lecturers at Cape Tech for encouraging me to take this direction. 

What do you think constitutes a “good” design?

Function and clear communication of the concept is most important but to make something truly memorable it also needs to be original. This is the challenge but it’s also what keeps it exciting. 

How do you steer clear of fabs and trends in the industry?

This can be tough especially when you’re responding to briefs that are often written with current trends in mind. But, focusing on your own creative intuitions and what inspires you personally is a way to be more authentic in your approach.

What is your favourite type of project or brief?

I frequently get commissioned to create sticker illustrations for advertising campaigns. I find the challenge of distilling often complex ideas into a single image very creatively stimulating.  These projects usually cover a variety of subject matter, so I’m often learning about new things as I research and find inspiration.  The stickers also mostly require a combination of type and illustration has become a central part of what I do. 

Do you have tips for overcoming a creative block?

I find ideas come when I’m not specifically looking for them. So, I prefer to get away from the screen and go for a walk or something. It’s hard to say where ideas come from and how to get them, but I do personally find that just using the internet for inspiration doesn’t always help. 

Where do you think graphic design will go in the next few years?

With things becoming increasingly digital, I think there will be a pushback in graphic design where people will be drawn to handmade graphics. It’s definitely the case in illustration with the popularity of printing processes like screen printing. AI will be a challenge in the industry. We are already seeing its capabilities with the recent launch of generators like Mid Journey and Dall-E.

What does a regular day look like for you?

Most days I cycle to studio space in North London to get in around 9. Usually, my projects have a fully planned schedule, so depending on what phase the project is in I could start my day with client feedback that’s come in overnight via email. This is often the case when I’m working with US-based clients. Sometimes I’ll go out for lunch to meet other illustrators, potential clients or my agents. I’ll often work long hours when I’m on a project, but then because I’m freelance I make sure to take down time between projects. 

Are there any designers you admire or who inspire you?

I’m very inspired by people who have had a mixed experience or have made an interesting career change. I think this kind of fluidity keeps the creative industry moving forward.

Any exciting plans or projects in the pipeline?

I’ve been working on a new project with Anomaly LA which I can’t say any more about yet, but I’m very excited about its launch later this year. I’m currently in Amsterdam meeting with various studios and agencies to create connections and new business opportunities. I’ve met some great people out here and I’m hoping to work with some of them in the near future. 

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From flatpack cabins and whimsical photography by Teresa Freitas to a guide on mythical cryptids, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 346.

1. Hello Wood Studio’s Self-Assemble Kabinka Cabin

International brand Hello Wood Studio’s Kabinka Cabin is a compact and versatile design, perfect for a retreat space or home extension. Celebrating the “tiny house movement”, the Kabinka cabin is available in four sizes, ranging from 12m² to 20m². The cabins can be built easily – either arriving flatpacked for self-assembly or Hello Wood Studio can do the work of putting it together for you.

Image credit: hellowood.eu

2. Pillow Chairs by Ash NYC

Will Cooper, Chief Creative Officer at Ash NYC, is behind the design of the Pillow Chair, inspired by the Italian Riviera in the 1960s. In classic primary colour stripes, these comfy poolside chairs are made from a custom poly-blend fabric that allow the seats to keep their shape.

Image credit: ashnyc.com

3. Herb Lester’s Cryptid World

From horned jackalopes and sea serpents to mysterious cats, Herb Lester’s latest fold-out guide highlights the world of strange animals, also known as cryptids. These mythical and unexplained creatures are all illustrated and documented in this fun guide, written by cryptozoologist Dr Karl Shuker. 

Images courtesy of herblester.com

4. Design Indaba Poster Collabs

Design Indaba has launched a new online store where you can purchase bespoke Design Indaba merchandise, collaborations and products by creatives from around the globe, like these limited-edition Design Indaba posters. There are 30 to choose from! Take a look at Design Indaba Emerging Creatives 2021.

Images courtesy of designindaba.com

5. Teresa Freitas’s Photographs

Lisbon-based photographer and content creator Teresa Freitas posts dreamy imagery on Instagram, featuring the places she’s visited and the surrounding architecture. She says she loves subverting familiar motifs into something less tangible and more cinematic.

Image credit: @teresacfreitas on Instagram

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From trendy wine bar posters and cute hand-made baby mobiles to lockdown-inspired art and vibrant sardine wall mounts, these are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 332.

1. Kettal Half Dome Lamp

The shape of the Half Moon Lamp, designed by industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa for Kettal, draws inspiration from the moon. The design was intended to simulate the atmosphere of natural moonlight. Made for indoor and outdoor use, the floor lamp comes in 34 aluminium colours options.

Images courtesy of kettal.com

2. Publik Wine Bar Posters

Designed by Chris Moore for local wine bar Publik, this series of curated poster prints is now available to purchase online, in both A3 (R350) and A1 (R550) format. The posters were recently featured as part of the V&A Waterfront’s 100 Beautiful Things exhibition. Shop at publik.co.za.

Images via Publik

3. Fathima Kathrada’s Illustrations

Instead of using paint, local multidisciplinary illustrator and designer Fathima Kathrada has been using materials like turmeric, beetroot juice, coffee and spinach juice to create watercolour illustrations that aim to spread messages of positivity and hope during lockdown.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_PzZiOpKTW/

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Images via @fathimasstudio on Instagram

4. Nehanda Design Mobiles

Local designer Nehanda Magan creates hand-made felt and wool baby mobiles featuring a variety of ocean creatures, wildlife and beauties from our floral kingdom. She also does commissions and personalised orders.

Images via nehandadesign.co.za

5. Bordallo Pinheiro Ceramic Sardines

Ceramic brand Bordallo Pinheiro has launched a new range of brightly coloured ceramic sardine wall mounts which can work collectively as an installation or as stand-alone pieces. Each sardine is painted by a different artist and comes presented in recycled packaging.

Images courtesy of Bordallo Pinheiro

Browse more like VISI picks of the week series – week 332 on picks of the week 282.

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Indulge your inner explorer with the African Journey Collection of vintage-inspired printed posters by Duncan Butchart.

Drawing on his childhood fascination with The Adventures of Tintin by cartoonist Hergé, wildlife illustrator and author Duncan Butchart has conceived these stylised depictions of iconic places on the African continent.

His adoption of Hergé’s signature ligne claire style of illustration makes for a whimsical interpretation of destinations such as Etosha, Victoria Falls and Zanzibar, reminiscent of 1950s posters used by airlines, travel companies and tourism agencies.

The collection comprises 18 posters that will remind you of places already visited and will inspire your next adventure.

To see more, visit dbnatureworks.com.

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The global travelling exhibition Tolerance comes to Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, from 16 – 31 July 2018. The timing of an exhibition that promotes acceptance and understanding is befitting of the Mandela Centenary.

The name and central theme was chosen as a universal call for empathy and fortitude through art. The idea behind the travelling show, which is spearheaded by Bosnian designer and comic artist Mirko Ilić (who has worked as an art director for the New York Times and is best known for his radical political comics and illustrations), is to spread a simple message of humanity. 

Paula Scher, USA

Requiring as little infrastructure as possible, the exhibition has appeared in Austria, Croatia, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Spain, USA, Holland, Turkey, Dominican Republic, United Arab Emirates, Romania, Ukraine and Moldova, with upcoming shows in Finland and Russia. Prominent designers from around the world are invited to create a poster by interpreting the word “tolerance” in their own language. The result is a body of work that is constantly evolving and growing. A new artist is added from each city in which it appears. 

The latest additions have been made by Art Chantry (an American graphic designer famous for posters and album covers for artists such as Mudhoney, Mono Men, Soundgarden and The Sonics) and Holger Matthies (a German poster designer with strong political messaging). South African graphic designers Brandt Botes and Garth Walker have also made contributions, which will be on display in Joburg and will form part of the travelling exhibition.

Brandt Botes, SA

The exhibition has been brought to South Africa via Design Indaba, and kicked off in February this year at the Design Indaba Festival in Cape Town before travelling to the KZNSA Gallery in Durban. Mirko is a former speaker on the Design Indaba Conference programme. When the exhibition closes, the posters will be donated to the design department of a local tertiary institution.

Visitors to Constitution Hill can gain free access to the exhibition by citing the word “tolerance” at the main entrance reception desk. For more information on The Tolerance Travelling Poster Show, visit Design Indaba. 

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Join Zander Blom at STEVENSON in Cape Town for his seventh solo exhibition, entitled Paintings and Posters, from 15 March until 5 May 2018.

For over 10 years, Zander has experimented with contemporary abstract art and explored a range of non-figurative painting experiments. His works are characterised by a busy, wild, yet calculated combination of techniques, textures and compositions.

Paintings and Posters sees a change in style and a shift from abstraction. Breaking away from his former self-imposed rules, this exhibition is representative of Zander’s will for a renewed pictorial language. Figurative elements make their debut in his compositions.

A myriad of multimedia fragments, including paint, wonky mosaics, gift-store posters, scribbles and collaged photographs speak of Zander’s rebellious icons, a childhood obsession with knives and monsters, art history and history of self.

Zander will give a walkabout of the exhibition at STEVENSON on Saturday 17 March at 11 am. The gallery is located at Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock. For more information, visit stevenson.info.

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Underground Images is a selection of over 50 posters designed by the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City, which will be on display at the Design Indaba Festival from 1 March until 3 March 2017.

The intention of the posters, which include designs dating from 1950 to the present day, is for them to be displayed in the subway stations of New York City. The initial concept was to use a new form of media to attract students to the SVA.

The 30 artists exhibiting at the Underground Images exhibition include Gail Anderson, Marshall Arisman, Gene Case, Ivan Chermayeff, Paul Davis, Sal De Vito, Louise Fili, Audrey Flack, Nathan Fox, Bob Gill, Robert Giusti, Milton Glaser, Phil Hays, Steven Heller, Mirko Ilic, Victor Koen, Stephen Kroninger, Marvin Mattelson, Clay Patrick McBride, James McMullan, Jerry Moriarty, Tony Palladino, Stefan Sagmeister, David Sandlin, Paula Scher, Yuko Shimizu, Eve Sonneman, George Tscherny, James Victore and Robert Weaver.

The Underground Images Exhibition will be on display at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town during Nightscape at the Design Indaba Festival. For more information, visit designindaba.com.

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The Thin Gold Line is a collaboration between a group of young entrepreneurs and designers, reimagining popular movie posters in a striking, minimal way.

Run by three brothers, Audric, Lénaïc and Arnold, the concept is to interlink philosophy with sleek, minimal design, with the highest quality printing and paper available.

“Each poster in this Collection reveals the traces famous movies left on the collective unconscious by illustrating their essential form through respecting aesthetic and philosophical criteria,” explain the brothers. “Our golden line is the synthesis of the most minimal and artistic shape with the highest possible recognisability, making it the symbol that best conveys the core of a movie.”

The Cinematic Collection interprets four well-known movies, renamed as The Dark Side, The Red Pill, The Final Frontier and The One Ring. These iconic blockbuster reinventions are printed in Verona, Italy, using the brightest foil (Kurz Luxor) currently available on the market, as well as the darkest Fedrigoni paper, which is 20% darker than Sirius paper.

Follow The Thin Gold Line on Kickstarter to find out more about this project.

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13 official posters for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have been unveiled and are currently on exhibition at the Deodoro Olympic Park.

Each poster portrays the artist’s idea of the city of Brazil. The 12 Brazilian artists include Alexandre Mancini, Antônio Dias, Beatriz Milhazes, Claudio Tozzi, Ana Clara Schindler, Gringo Cardia, Gustavo Greco, Gustavo Piqueira, Guto Lacaz, Juarez Machado, Kobra and Rico Lins. The thirteenth poster is by Colombian artist Olga Amaral.

The Director of Culture for the Rio Olympics, Carla Camurati, explained that with such a vibrant and diverse city it would be hard to choose just one representative and poster.

After the games are complete, the posters will be displayed in schools across the city.

The posters can also be bought in two sizes from the Deodoro Olympic Park Shop and official Rio 2016 stores.

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