Get ready to laugh out loud with inimitable graphic designer Elliot Ulm, and perhaps learn how to love Comic Sans again too.
For Rainbow of Hope, Evermade's latest artwork series, we came together with Elliot to create a print that re-imagines the rainbow. You can purchase the final uplifting design below - with 100% of profits being donated to NHS Charities Together.
There's ha-ha funny, and there's self-deprecating funny, and then there's Elliot Ulm - who's the best of both. The Sydney-based graphic designer is best known for converting wry one-liners (primarily about the more untold, occasionally soul-crushing elements of the creative experience) into genuinely gorgeous designs. In Elliot's refreshingly well-made memes, regular topics up for discussion include late invoices, bad fonts (including the deeply misunderstood Papyrus and Comic Sans, respectively), Clip Art, the exchange rate of exposure, and selling his soul on Fiverr. If you're feeling disillusioned with the corporate creative world, or even the daily slog of social media brand-building, we guarantee you'll find refuge in Elliot Ulm's utterly honest work.
While punchlines may be abundant in his practice, the quality of Ulm's work is sincerely first-rate. His aesthetic genuinely brings new weight to the phrases bold type and retro gradients - and it's launching him into the design limelight. With Elliot’s list of collaborators now including Adobe Designers and After Hours Studio - and having amassed a cult online following - perhaps we're going to be losing our favourite tell-it-like-it-is graphic designer to the bright lights of fame. Big things are undoubtedly on the horizon for Ulm - but fear not. We're sure he's got enough relatable content up his sleeve to last us a lifetime.
Describe your style in 3 words.
Humorous, bold, humorous
What’s in your art toolkit?
Adobe Photoshop and sadly that is pretty much it
Who was on your playlist whilst working on this project?
Pink Floyd's entire discography for the first time... Crazy!
Who are some artists you really admire at the moment?
Kris Andrew Small, Caterina Bianchini and Bráulio Amado!
What are the positives you have come across during lockdown? How do you think it will change your point of view in the future?
I've become a lot better at being productive with my time and have also been trying to upskill in areas of design I've never really tried... Hopefully, I’ll get to apply these in my work in the future! I've also been lucky enough to have a Zoom Games Night with my friends every Friday which is keeping me sane, so I've really learned to appreciate those who make you laugh!
What are you looking forward to most when the lockdown is over?
I'm really into performing and lockdown has absolutely decimated the theatre and comedy scene in Sydney... Really hoping it can survive for a little bit longer (and gets some government support) so the arts can live on!
What’s your message to health workers right now?
You are all absolute heroes. I will forever be grateful for the sacrifices you've made and the courage you possess!
If there's a designer out there who could help us laugh off some lockdown lethargy, it's obviously Elliot. So for our latest Rainbow of Hope art series, he's created a design vision in rainbow, titled Laugh At Your Own Jokes, featuring a slogan to lift our spirits. "It's hard to find humour in a time that's never been more lonely and isolating," Elliot explained to Evermade, "but it's also the best time to learn to enjoy your own company." Elliot's newest print is an exercise in minimalist mastery - and compels each of us to "Have a laugh, and keep smiling!"
You can get your hands on Elliot's uplifting new design below, it's available for purchase now, and 100% of the profits will be donated to NHS Charities Together.
