Creative Industry Report: Evi O.

self-taught artist and award winning designer

Evi O. is a designer based in Sydney but grew up in Surabaya, Indonesia. A curious learner and someone who finds joy in both playing and working, she never lets her days get boring. Starting small as a junior designer at Penguin Books, she slowly became sought after for her well designed books and illustrations. Her hard work and determination paid off as she started to win awards with her first in 2012, when a book she had designed at Penguin won  book of the year and best general illustrated book.

Evi O. is someone who is usually restless and functions better when juggling many different projects at once, she feels that different design tasks and processes stimulate her. However, she also believes in work life balance and thus, believes that all creatives should have their own creative outlet. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why she founded her own studio, Evi O. Studio after spending almost a decade at Penguin.

Evi o. studio

Evi O. Studio was founded in 2017 and the studio specialises in designing publications and branding identities. Her team and she can be found illustrating vegetables, gin bottles, portraits and much more. Her projects and music are what makes her studio always vibrant and never boring. Her studio is known for it’s hand-drawn approach to design where projects usually start with black ink and a brush on paper before manipulating the typefaces digitally. This is something I hope to practice more as a designer as I believe this traditional approach has its benefits and can help elevate my works plus start my projects with a different perspective.

what i have learnt from her

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “learn till old, live till old” and I felt like I understood this better through Evi. Although she is not old yet, the fact that she is still young and is still experimenting with new art forms such as her recent venture into abstract painting. She started with a visual communications degree, became an established book designer, opened her own design studio and now exhibits paintings in galleries. It surely came with lots of commitment and long days/nights. I hope to approach life with her advice for aspiring artists and designers, “make sure work feels like play”!

References

Book designer spotlight: Evi O. (2019, August 7). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2019/08/07/137243/book-designer-spotlight-evi-o/

Sadokierski Lecturer, Z. (2016, June 22). Designers on collaboration: Evi O. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://theconversation.com/designers-on-collaboration-evi-o-29785

Rets, J. (2017, April 10). The long and winding creative journey of Australian artist Evi O. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://happymag.tv/from-books-to-art-to-graphic-design-no-medium-escapes-the-creative-clutches-of-evi-o/

Home. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://evi-o.studio/

About. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://evi-o.art/about/

News. (2018, August 8). Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://www.telegramco.com/meet-evi-o-award-winning-artist-and-designer/

Walton, N. (2015, January 27). DESIGNER + ILLUSTRATOR EVI OETOMO. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from http://www.dailyimprint.net/2015/01/designer-illustrator-evi-oetomo.html

Koskela, R. (2018, October 02). 5 questions with Evi O. Retrieved September 23, 2020, from https://koskela.com.au/blogs/news/5-questions-with-evi-o