Berlin-based graphic designer and illustrator, Hélène Baum, creates playful compositions and animations, with her works adorning anything from books to banners. After finishing her design studies in Lyon in 2010, she went on to work for small and big design studios in Amsterdam, London and finally arrived at Berlin.
Coming from a diverse cultural background and plenty of moving around, her work, much like her, forever shifts. “What defines my universe is a sense of ‘collage’ and the idea of a third dimension,” she states on her website. “A cosmic space where through humour and idealism, elements from different cultures, coexist in vibrant images.”
Inspired by her environment, but also from mythology, black history, fashion, patterns, books, and nature, her illustrations are both playful and powerful. According to Baum, her work is guided by Manet’s famous quote, stating “there are no lines in nature, only areas of color, one against another.”
“I love this quote because of the deeper meaning I read into it, although it might not have been Edouard Manet’s intention,” she stated in an interview with Freelance Wisdom. “No lines, no separations, no borders, no walls, just different people and nature coexisting next to each other. Very peace and love!”
“Color is the most crucial aspect of my work, and when I use lines, they are to be seen as colored surfaces,” she adds. “They are just thinner areas of color as opposed to outlines and dividers.”
Take a look at some of her work in the gallery below.
