Edvinas Reika is a graphic designer, born and raised in Klaipeda, Lithuania, a quiet city by the Baltic Sea. He started as a traditional designer, however over the past year his work has been getting more experimental and open to interpretation.
Today, Edvinas explores and attempts to visualize the intangible—inner feelings, emotions and the relationship we have with ourselves and with others.
How would you describe your approach to design?
Rather than talking about what my approach to design is, I can tell you what it is not. I don’t believe in creative block or burnout, if I have to create something, I sit down (sometimes lay down) and do it. My process and the way I come up with ideas is definitely consistent but never linear, and it is difficult to pinpoint what triggers it.
When people ask me how I stay motivated, I just tell them I try to have fun. If you don’t feel engaged with the work you’re putting out, you will get bored quickly.
How do you think online design resources have influenced the graphic design being produced today?
I think the abundance of online design content is both good and bad. It depends on how you consume it. It is very easy to surround yourself with what you consider good design work every day, and if you’re generally a go-getter, it can motivate you to make something of your own.
However, if you lack motivation, it can get quite overwhelming and it can make you feel like you are not doing enough.
Either way, it comes with a risk. Recently, I read an article about “auto-tune design”, comparing sameness in pop music to designers defaulting to the same trendy elements to communicate almost anything.
I think platforms like Instagram are an easy way for designers to measure and quantify what type of work performs well in comparison to others, and it is getting increasingly more difficult not to fall into that trap of template-y sameness. Despite that, I feel grateful for how accessible design resources are. If it wasn’t for that, I would not be doing what I am doing today.
Who are some of your favorite designers or artists?
Like I mentioned, my ideation process does not have a rigid structure, so naturally my sources of inspiration are also evershifting. However, I find that oftentimes it is most efficient to look for inspiration outside of your immediate design field. Recently, I have been drawing a lot of inspo from 3D design. Some designers and studios I really enjoy currently are: @aeforia, @obby.jappari, @render_fruit, @jasonebeyer, @danbarkle and many others.
Were there any mistakes you’ve made as a designer and what did you learn from that experience?
Of course! I feel like the main mistake was in my thinking, and not necessarily in the way I practice graphic design as a whole. Not so long ago, I had a very rigid mindset, and believed that a designer must pick a sub-discipline to work within and stick to it.
Now, I feel like I work more as a visual artist than a traditional graphic designer, so I am a lot more relaxed in that sense. I have learned that once you start developing a distinct style, there are many ways to tweak it and incorporate it in different projects.
How do you differentiate yourself from other designers?
It’s the way I apply different visual languages to create unexpected outcomes in unexpected ways. A little while back, someone asked me how I would describe my design style, and after thinking for a while, I couldn’t give them a clear answer. Then I realized that this is precisely what differentiates me from other designers.
Sometimes I try to make brutalist design feel ethereal and magical, sometimes it’s the other way around. But there is always something that ties all of my work together.
Which is your favorite typeface and why?
My favorite typeface ever is the typeface that strengthens the atmosphere of my work, and conveys what I want it to convey. My second favorite typeface is the one that goes well with the first one.
EDVINAS REIKA
WEBSITE: edreika.me
IG:@edreika
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