Olga Griesinger’s illustrations and typography art say it like it is. A graphic designer and illustrator, she works at the letterpress greeting card company Elum Designs, creating cards that are very much wholesome.
Born in the USSR to a family of artists and designers, she grew up in Minsk, Belarus, and has started art school at age seven. But though Griesinger had a strong grounding in classical academic drawing and painting, she didn’t want to become a fine artist. Influenced by the boldness and richness of Polish mid-century posters, she dreamed of joining the world of graphic design.
“Both of my parents studied interior design, my mom worked in architecture and then became an art teacher, my father is a graphic designer and photographer,” she recalled in an interview with The Design Kids. “Drawing, painting, any kind of creativity were always encouraged in me since young age. Through my childhood, I distinctly remember drawing two kind of things – funny animals and characters (before I started to read) and words and letters (after learning how to read). I think it is only natural that after years of practicing both I became a greeting card graphic designer and illustrator.”
Her work is varied and very much relies on her artistic background. In addition to having layout, typography, and photography skills, she is also able to create strong illustrations in almost any style or technique. “I get to have fun coming up with concepts (illustrations as well as words) for greeting cards of all sorts of occasions, which are printed in a beautiful old (and complicated to learn) technique of letterpress,” she says. “I also get to design stationery collections and products, gift-wrap and gift bags, which are later sold in stores like Papyrus, Homegoods, Marshalls, TJ-Max, and Clintons. So when you are out there buying a paper bag for your gift, you may be grabbing one of my creations.”
Take a look at some of her more adorable designs.
