Studio Squid

Marcella Boer is a Gouda (Netherlands) based artist and designer, and the face behind Studio Squid. Professionally, Marcella works as a Graphic Designer, but divides her week into working by commission and having the space to develop and work on her own ideas and projects. Her practice as a graphic designer predominantly focuses on designing book covers, movie covers, and branding for video (documentaries etc). Alongside this, Marcella works on her own projects where she continues to develop her skills and experiment. She is also currently building a house on wheels so she can travel to inspiring places in nature and create works out of her van.

Originally, Marcella studied Graphic Design in Rotterdam (GLR), where she learnt the basics of design. She then went on to work in the commercial field, which she did not enjoy but still gained a lot from. Marcella then took the leap and started a new study at the art academy of The Hague (KABK). “At that time I was really shifting towards photography, so I decided to study that,” says the designer. She continues; “I learned a lot in general, about myself and about processes of art in any form, but I did feel that this was not my way to go. So I decided to quit the study after a year and be more free in what I could do. I feel like all that I have learned so far can now finally come together in my practice and it was the right decision to just be free of education.”

Marcella states; “I believe that everything is connected. With that I mean that when I don’t give myself enough space and freedom in daily life, my flow of ideas for projects will stop.” Thus, she goes for a walk every morning, writes what’s on her mind, and takes in her surroundings. Marcella also travels as often as possible; “I notice that my flow of ideas keeps coming when I take this seriously, and all these ideas are written down and sketched out for another moment”. The first phase of any of her projects begins in analogue, and she sketches by hand with a pencil on paper. These sketches will be tucked away for a while, ready for her to look back on and initiate ideas from. They then either form a design for a linocut piece, or are translated into digital pieces that she’ll combine with lettering or more elements.

Marcella’s interest in art goes way back and she reminisces of dreaming all day at school ready to get back to her drawings at home. One of her biggest inspirations was the graffiti and street art scene; “The colours, shapes, and letters are so awesome and unique”. Pretty quickly she started writing letters and pieces, and even worked on some graffiti herself. Her studio’s name, Squid, also comes from this graffiti phase. Marcella tells us; “I used to write SQUID as a name on legal spots and it suits me because of all the different things I like to do and to combine in my work”.

More recently, her work has become inspired by artists that combine typography and illustration, and analogue and digital. Besides this, music is also a big influence on her work; “I am really a music nerd that tries to listen to music as often as possible, in many genres. From reggae to grunge and punk, to indie and electronic. The choice of genre depends on my mood, but also on the mood that I try to find for a project. Not only the vibes that the music brings, but also the designs of album covers can really inspire me and concert posters can be so great for inspiration.” Also, her own life, nature, and adventure are big inspirations. The shapes, colours, smells, and freedom that she experiences whilst exploring her passions for travel, hiking, and mountain biking, all influence her output.

Looking to the future of her practice, Marcella’s main focus is to find a way to share her life lessons with others, to inspire them to think and find their own way in this maze of a world. The result of this will be a blog accompanied with visuals that she has created. As well as this, she hopes to create a collection of printed t-shirts featuring her designs, that are eco-minded and outdoor-oriented.

This winter, Marcella will be back on the road, and with limited space in her van she won’t be able to carry all of her tools. “I like the challenge to keep things simple and use less tools to create. It is a great opportunity to get my photography going again and then use these images in my work”.

Currently, Marcella is working on a Risograph print project that combines her analogue photography archive with her passion for typography.

@studiosquid_
www.studiosquid.nl

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