Rupa Anurendra uses found objects and handwritten type to create designs with a personal touch

After making the move to art school, the Melbourne-based designer has developed an inventive and more conceptual design approach.

Being in demand is something most designers strive for, but sometimes, churning out work can end up feeling quite formulaic. It’s this very feeling that Rupa Anurendra is preventing throughout her eclectic practice. Using handwritten type and experimenting with found objects, Rupa enjoys “seeing how I can manipulate an image by arranging and moving objects instead of digital manipulation”. A particularly intuitive example of this approach is Rupa’s poster for DJ Yumdogg Millionaire. Using curry powder shaped on a scanner, she created a playful font with an energy you wouldn’t find with a rendering. All of this effort, Rupa tells us, is so she can “add a personal touch to work that is mainly digital".

After doing a graphic design degree at a technology-centric university, Rupa has recently moved to an art school environment. Currently, she is exploring “plastic and transparency”, as well as trying to make art for herself. “I feel like a baby in the art world, so I’m starting there – with my childhood,” Rupa details. “I’m excited to see how my work matures over time. It feels very therapeutic.”

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Rupa Anurendra: Short Life Long Lunch (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2022)

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Rupa Anurendra: Understandzine (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2020)

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Rupa Anurendra: Companion Label Lunch (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2021)

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Rupa Anurendra: Signal (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2020)

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Rupa Anurendra: Signal (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2020)

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Rupa Anurendra: Clean Heart (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2022)

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Rupa Anurendra: Folly Hifi at the Convent (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2021)

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Rupa Anurendra: Anamalia (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2022)

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Rupa Anurendra: Fin Wines (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2020)

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Rupa Anurendra: Handle en Masse (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2021)

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Rupa Anurendra: Daisy Records Volume I (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2022)

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Rupa Anurendra: Floating In... (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2022)

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Rupa Anurendra: GAG Cabaret (Copyright © Rupa Anurendra, 2020)

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About the Author

Olivia Hingley

Olivia (she/her) is associate editor of the website, working across editorial projects and features as well as Nicer Tuesdays events. She joined the It’s Nice That team in 2021. Feel free to get in touch with any stories, ideas or pitches.

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