The Fox is Black

  • Japanese artist Yasuo-range considers herself a “graphical illustrator” which is a pretty apt description. Her work, which seamlessly blends digital and physical mediums, has influences that wander between abstraction, influences of the Bauhaus, and Japanese minimalism. There’s something so lovely about how she abstracts objects into these colorful still-life scenes. She gives our brains just enough information to start to pick out particular items, but in some cases, not quite enough, giving you time to look over the pieces trying to discern what is what.

    Abstract Illustrations by Yasuo-range
    Abstract Illustrations by Yasuo-range
    Abstract Illustrations by Yasuo-range
    Abstract Illustrations by Yasuo-range
  • An illustrator based in Japan, born in Tokyo and graduated from the Department of Graphic Design at Tama Art University, Taku Bannai works in a broad range of areas such as advertisements, books, magazines, and artwork for record covers. He captures our everyday scenes in a papercut, minimalist style, which creates a “blank space,” as he calls it, which allows the viewer to imagine their own stories. I find his work so calming, and I love all the small imperfections that can be found throughout.

    Art and illustration by Taku Bannai
    Art and illustration by Taku Bannai
    Art and illustration by Taku Bannai
    Art and illustration by Taku Bannai
  • My love for food-related branding is unending, and when I spotted this work from Humid Daze, I was immediately a fan. Humid Daze is a one-man design studio helmed by Sean Jones, a designer and illustrator based in Atlanta. The work he did for Deeply, a cafe and bottle shop in Florida, is clean and timeless, using elements of sans serif type paired with hand drawn elements. It’s all so crisp and clean that you can’t go wrong, and in the end, it allows the coffee to shine through clearest. I feel like everyone could use a little spot like this in their neighborhood.

    Deeply Cafe & Bottle Shop branding by Humid Daze
    Deeply Cafe & Bottle Shop branding by Humid Daze
    Deeply Cafe & Bottle Shop branding by Humid Daze
    Deeply Cafe & Bottle Shop branding by Humid Daze