Interview with Deanne Cheuk
by Until recently, Australian-born, New York based designer and illustrator Deanne Cheuk was the creative force behind the stunning and progressive visuals in art and culture magazine Tokion. We spoke to her recently about her eclectic work schedule. Many people know you through your art direction of Tokion. You really pushed things on that magazine. It must have been fun to work on? ‘It was great, especially to come from a history of self-publishing. I didn’t have to deal with the stress of funding and content, I just got to have fun with the design and typography. I was really bored of the design of other magazines at the time, and I felt like there was a lot of opportunity to do something different, so I just went with it. As far as pushing things visually — at the time I was developing my illustration style too so that really influenced the design of Tokion’. What projects have you been working on this past year? ‘I’ve been working with the fashion designer Sue Stemp on prints for her collections, and also working in my studio on new paintings and drawings in preparation for an art road trip to China in October with Jose Parla, Ro Starr and Young Kim’. Ever pine for the beaches and fresh air of Perth? ‘Never. I pine for my family and friends there, but I don’t miss Australia. I love New York!’ What state of mind do you need to be in order to really create something special? ‘I usually work on a few jobs at a time but I spend as much time as I can on each before I move to the next. Ideas generally come for one job while working on another. I guess my mind is wandering while I work. Maybe that’s why I can’t work with music on — I like to work in silence’. What was the last piece of work by another illustrator or designer that totally blew your mind? ‘I just saw the cover of Beautiful Decay the other day that Alex Trochut did, I thought that was incredible!’ [read Deanne Cheuk's posts for Lost At E Minor] [ more about Deanne Cheuk]
Tagged: Australian designers, black and white illustrations, Deanne Cheuk, New York designers, portraits
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Deanne Cheuk on her latest projects
We checked in with sometime Lost At E Minor contributor and all the time brilliant designer and illustrator, Deanne Cheuk, and asked her what had been keeping her busy of late: ‘I’m curating an issue of Theme magazine; designing some prints for Sue Stemp and Something; and working on new drawings for a show in January 2010 at the Monster Children Gallery in Sydney. In terms of the next big project I have coming up, I have sunglasses that I designed with Colab coming out later this year. Yay!’
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Win a set of Sony personal audio prizes
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She may have designed for Ralph Lauren, but it’s hard to believe that Brandy Lunsford’s first two collections have been of this calibre. Read more
UK-based designer Daniel J Diggle has some beautifully obsessive illustrative work on his site, with nice photos of the beginning sketches and process. Read more
This one-stop shop for all things eco-friendly is proof that protecting the environment is becoming a popular pastime. Almost every material category that comprises our society, from design to celebrity to transport, is looked at through a green lens. They’re ranked number twenty-two on Technorati’s list of 75,000,000 blogs, and even Daryl Hannah is singing their praises. Why? Its writers, they claim, ‘have the ability to take topics that most of us snoozed our way through in school, and make them the addictive juicy, green bits that they are’.
Micah P. Hinson is like every rustic, broken down, and pieced back together country great that’s ever been. Only hipper and slightly less sombre. This track, Diggin’ A Grave, is a button-up hoe down with a classic pop chorus and a jangly banjo accompaniment. Yup, some folk have all the fun.
Why should the devil have all the good music? Finland’s Holy Blood is a great folk-black metal band by any standard, but its horn-raising tunes are all for the glory of the Good Lord rather than Satan or Odin. What would Jesus do? According to Holy Blood, he’d ride through the forests drinking mead and slaying non-believers.
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Wheeeeee! This game is so freaking fun! You move your cursor over each dot to make them split into four smaller dots ad infinitum.
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Creative advertising packaging
Despite the intentions of many, it’s not so often that advertising — as an industry — truly thinks outside the box. Yet, when executed well, clever eye-catching advertising actually works. It does. As these examples will attest to. Read more
Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more
Thanks to Sony Australia, four Lost At E Minor readers will win personal audio prizes, including the new 8GB Walkman S series video MP3 player and the MDRXB500 Extra Bass headphones. Read more
Originating in Shanghai, the Feiyue sneaker first appeared in the 1920s. This small shoe made of light material that has guided the paths of all social classes in China, has crossed continents, arriving in Europe in 2006 where it was picked up by a team of French enthusiasts, fascinated by sneakers and urban culture. Read more
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Grobi White said | 7 November, 2007
Great stuff! Love this illustrations!