Anita Cheung

Can you tell us about your first memories of doodling?

When I was in elementary school, my best friend and I had a notebook that we would pass back and forth every week. We filled the pages with everything from the mundane happenings of our lives to the latest playground gossip and crushes. I distinctly remember a lot of my entries had accompanying drawings- quick little doodles and characters to express things I felt words couldn’t. (Perhaps an indicator of my excessive emoji use as an adult)?

What’s the most important part of your creative process?

I think the most important part of my process begins before any pen is put to paper, or any brief is sent. I’ve learned over the years that taking care of myself- seeking out inspiration, setting boundaries, and finding rest-  is so important for a sustainable creative career. I try to feed my curiosity by doing things that are creative, but totally unrelated to my line of work. Dancing, learning to ride horses, gardening, and trying my hand at flower arranging are all hobbies that have no direct connection to my work, but nourish me and, as a result, my creativity.

What artists, writers and storytellers are you personally inspired by?

There are way too many to list out! If I had to narrow it down to a general category, I would say I’m inspired by beautiful children’s books. No hate to Disney, but books like Almost Nothing, Yet Everything, or Story Boat combine prose and pictures in a way where you’re always discovering something new with each read. (And as a highly involved auntie of two young nieces, I can attest to re-reading books many, many times.) I appreciate how messaging is simplified- titrated to its essence- in children’s books, yet a good picture book will contain multiple layers of meaning woven between the images and the words.

What brands do you admire for their take on design and/or illustration?

When Mailchimp first came out with its “inky-style” drawings, I really admired how they were bucking the trend of “flat, digital illustrations” that all start ups seem to gravitate towards. While there’s something to be said about familiarity; when everyone’s doing the same visual thing, it just makes brands look a bit bland. A pal of mine did some illustrations for a children’s clothing company- Petits Vilains, and I feel like the analogue-style drawings add a playfulness that offsets their minimalist photography & colour palette in a really nice way. I’m hopeful that brands will continue to infuse joy and play into their messaging- because we all sure as heck need some more levity in our lives after the last two years.

(Side note: This is why I loved how the team at Sonder & Tell were down to embrace analogue illustrations for the advent calendar last year!)

How did you approach reworking the Sonder & Tell brand?

It was such a pleasure to expand on the Sonder & Tell brand because the team knew exactly what they’re about, and what they’re not about. With the S&T project, I knew we wanted to make words the star of the show– which is a fun challenge coming from such an image-based world. Creativity flourishes with boundaries, so with pictures (mostly) out of the picture, I leaned into everything else– size and scale, colour blocking and colour combinations, different fonts, etc.

The main thing to look out for when working with words are walls of text. With this in mind, it was important to me that we kept things polished and digestible by maintaining negative space, while adding some cheekiness with some elements of surprise & delight.

Complete the following sentence: The creative industry needs more…

Diverse voices. There are still a LOT of stories and viewpoints that aren’t making it to the “mainstream” and I think we could do a lot better in all facets of the industry.

When you’re not creating cool illustrations and doodles for brands/people, what are you doing?

When I’m not doing client work, I’m most likely working on my own artwork/ my next collection. And if I’m not working at all, you can find me partaking in one of the aforementioned hobbies, taking long nature walks with friends, or hanging out with my nieces drinking tea in a fort.