Anthony Burrill, Catty Tay (Digi-Gxl and IoDF), Olivia Twist, Fa and Fon: Tickets are now available for December’s Nicer Tuesdays!

Somehow it is already December, marking the end of what has been another... interesting year. Throughout the ups and downs (and there have been many), there has been one constant for us here at It’s Nice That: our monthly creative talks series, Nicer Tuesdays. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen our favourite creatives take to the stage (both virtually and IRL) and tell us about their groundbreaking projects that have lit up the creative world and shaped trends along the way.

To round up another collection of incredible pocket-sized 10-minute talks, we’re ending the year with a bang, inviting four dazzling speakers to offer up a last dose of inspiration before the new year commences. And those speakers are: Anthony Burrill, Catty Tay of Digi-Gxl and Institute of Digital Fashion, Olivia Twist and last but not least Fa and Fon.

For anyone who’s a little unsure of joining us in the flesh for this event, we want to ensure all our attendees feel safe at our venue, Oval Space, and will do everything we can to protect our guests. We’ve reduced the overall capacity of the event. Hand-sanitiser dispensers will also be available throughout the venue and a ventilation system will be in operation, ensuring as much airflow as possible is circulated throughout the building.

There are a few things we’d also like our guests to comply with before attending the event. We would like to implement a new precautionary measure and ask attendees to bring one of the documents listed below to the event. This is an essential requirement to enter the venue. Your document will be checked at the door.

• Proof of a negative lateral flow test email confirmation [taken within 48 hours of the event]. These tests are free and can be easily accessed via either your local pharmacy or online. Please register your negative test result.
• Proof of natural immunity by way of a positive PCR test [taken between 10 and 180 days ahead of the event].
• Completion of a full course of vaccination [completed at least 14 days prior to the event].

If, for any reasons, you are not able to bring one of these documents, please email hello@nicertuesdays.com.

To continue this new era of Nicer Tuesdays back to Oval Space, we’re also excited to partner with El Rayo Tequila, which will be providing each attendee with a complimentary drink. We’ll also enjoy snacks generously provided by Love Corn. On another note, please be aware that photography and filming may be taken at this event for marketing and promotional purposes. If you do not want to be photographed or filmed, please speak to our team on the day. Also, please bring ID with you to the venue as this is an 18+ event.

And finally, if you are in need of disability access, please make yourself known to a member of the Oval Space team on the evening or email hello@nicertuesdays.com so we can arrange assistance. Now, to find out more about this month’s speakers, read on below.

Widely known as “the nicest man in graphic design”, Anthony Burrill has established a well-earned reputation as a prolific, thoughtful and socially conscious designer at the fore of today’s industry. An It’s Nice That favourite, we’re delighted to host Anthony at the final Nicer Tuesdays of 2021, where he’ll take us on a tour of his famously bold typographic works and home in on the language of protest art which he frequently employs. Combining analogue craftsmanship skills with powerful and positive messages, Anthony’s work may appear simple in our maximalist design-scape but it packs a punch. Pushing letterpress printing to new dimensions, Anthony’s work can be seen in the likes of Wired magazine, several charitable campaigns, and countless publications, installations and exhibitions too.

Founded in 2019 in response to the lack of representation of womxn and non-binary creatives working in 3D and animation, CattyTay started Digi-Gxl as a way to champion the creators outside the cis male-dominated industry. A platform for womxn, trans people, intersex and non-binary digital designers, the platform has since amassed nearly 20,000 followers. Here it shows groundbreaking work at the forefront of the digital design scene. At December’s Nicer Tuesdays, Catty will tell us why and how they created Digi-Gxl and explain why it felt necessary to co-found the Institute of Digital Fashion; an IRL x URL strategy and innovation studio hoping to nurture a new era of fashion and to re-frame its broken system. She will also offer up a whistle-stop tour of its projects to date.

Illustrator, arts facilitator and lecturer Olivia Twist is well known for drawing out quiet moments that otherwise might be overlooked. A graduate from the Royal College of Art, Olivia has developed a highly distinct visual style featuring dozens of tightly illustrated lines tracing the contours of faces. In her Nicer Tuesdays talk, Olivia will shed light on how she arrived at this unique aesthetic, which has been seen on the likes of The Guardian, the BBC, WePresent, Tate, House of Illustration, Penguin Books and much more. She’ll also discuss her influences, processes and the art of creating a feeling or specific moment through illustration.

The London-based design duo are not your typical visual design duo. As well as being a creative studio they also share a set of DNA in that they are twins. Steering a variety of campaigns overlapping design and art direction for the likes of Nike, Fila and Converse, the pair work across a myriad of creative roles from photography to graphic design to build unique and fantastical new worlds for the viewer; all wrapped up in an image. Their practice draws inspiration from their South East Asian background plus a few hints to retro futurism pop culture peppered throughout. During their talk, Fa and Fon will shed further light on the intricacies behind their multi-faceted practice, telling us how they realise immersive narratives through the building of images as well as image manipulation.