Graphic Designer and illustrator Carly Fairbank loves Vancouver, restaurants, social media, and drawing. The 25-year-old has created a career and a wickedly awesome Instagram feed that manages to bring all her loves together.
Fairbank, who recently launched her own freelance design biz, shares her passions and talents for the written word through the highly visual medium of Instagram, posting her compelling and colourful hand-lettered illustrations of landmark, location, and restaurant names.
"I draw something every day," says Fairbank. In fact, she took it upon herself to do a "365" challenge, drawing something each and every day of 2016, which forced her to really flex her creative muscles.
So it was somewhat out of self-imposed necessity that Fairbank started doing hand-lettered illustrations of the names of the restaurants where she was eating.
Before you imagine the artist picking up her pens at the dinner table, Fairbank explains that she typically does a hand lettered drawing of a restaurant name before she gets there to eat.
"I always look at the [restaurant's] menu and check their Instagram," Fairbank elaborates. "Social media is such a part of our lives, and I love looking at [a business'] page and getting what they're all about."
Inspired in part by the restaurant's existing aesthetic, or often their colour schemes, Fairbank then turns their name into a striking version done in her own style. And it's a style that Fairbank describes as being sort of a visual autobiography.
"It's me," she attests. "I'm fun, and random, I love colour--which is what I really try to express in my work."
Not surprisingly, the restaurants she's illustrated love seeing their name in her hand on Fairbank's feed, with many happily re-sharing the image, or reaching out in appreciation for her talent.
For Fairbank, the whole process is gratifying--in part because she is so proud to be a Vancouverite and to be able to share with her Instagram followers the local sights and eats she's a fan of, but also because she's getting such great feedback.
An enthusiastic diner, Fairbank says her current favourite restaurant is Main Street's Torafuku, but she is often on the hunt for new dining experiences from all sorts of cuisines, from Thai to a good old fashioned steakhouse.
With her brand new business getting off the ground, Fairbank says her Instagram is a big factor in drawing new clients. She's working with a diverse array of clients for their various design needs, including hand-lettered logos and branding, to other graphic design jobs.
From cannabis shops to travel bloggers, and even some more corporate sector companies, Fairbank is hoping to grow her client base and to create the work consumers really want to see. In the meantime, keep up with where this talented illustrator is eating, traveling, and hanging out on her Instagram feed.
