Finding Your Place: New Talent 2023 Latest Entries

Our settings matter. No matter where we are philosophically or emotionally in our lives, the ground beneath our feet makes all the difference. From the cities to the backwoods, there is beauty to be found everywhere in the world around us. This week’s New Talent 2023 entries showcase two students who understand the value of the places we are, from the architecture to the way the trees grow. 

ArtCenter College of Design student Emma Shipley designed an entire startup concept, “Gable: The App for Structured Exploration” (above), to emphasize the beauty of city architecture. The app is meant to be used as an educational and entertaining resource, a way for users to connect with the history of any given city’s architecture in an immersive way. Shipley did this by using typography and iconography to create sophisticated design elements that bring the start-up idea to life. The resulting pieces, ranging from digital interfaces to physical invitational letters, are sophisticated, yet playful, and beautiful, yet functional, utilizing a restrained color palette of black, gray, white, and lime green to emphasize the different iconography and “Gable” logo while the resulting designs remain cohesive, elegant, and engaging to the user. Through the different digital and physical designs, Shipley has struck a chord for those enchanted by architectural relics and the never-ending explorations any city has to offer.

In a different entry, Concordia University student Daniel Erickson also created work inspired by the real-life wonder and beauty of the world, though this time, the location wasn’t just fictional. Erickson credits his small hometown in southeast Minnesota as the driving force for his “Small Town Abstract” illustrations (above). Each image includes various graphics which represent key activities and characteristics of the different towns Erickson grew up in, creating a finely tuned balance between sentimentality, nostalgia, and art. In addition to being wonderful to look at, the illustrations are also useful; they are designed as coasters, encouraging the viewer to interact with the illustrations in a way that is much more thoughtful and impactful than traditional art prints could elicit. While these designs work as stand-alone pieces, there is something even more special and endearing to seeing the full set, inspiring viewers to step back and appreciate the beauties of where they are. 

For more information and to enter the New Talent 2023 Competition, click here. The late deadline is tomorrow!