Introducing graphic designer Devi Heller

“Four years ago I had no idea what graphic design and typography were,” graphic designer Devi Heller confesses. “The last few years, I’ve surrounded myself with people who inspire me to make stuff.” Since 2013, Devi has been studying design at Art Academy Minerva in Groningen, the Netherlands. “The Academy is a nice environment to work in,” Devi says.

Devi’s thoughtfully constructed posters for De Gym “a midnight stage for contemporary culture in Groningen” caught not only our attention but apparently everyone else’s too. “It was a great opportunity to work freely and get exposure in the city,” the graphic designer tells us. The retro-looking posters make clear reference to the 80s and 90s, decades which, to the designer, who was born in 1994, must seem like another time. “I often get inspired by images from the 80s and 90s. I mostly start working directly on my MacBook, but I like my work to have an analog feel to it. Imperfect Risograph prints and failing home printers give a certain look I really like.”

Not yet out of university, Devi is now focusing on his graduation project which will consider “how we lost track of the truth in all the information we get and what role digitalisation plays in this matter”. It’s new territory for the graphic designer, who admits the project is “something completely different from my strongly visually-driven work, but I like to challenge myself to learn who I am as a designer.”