Daria Solak: Artist Highlight

Is it too early for the jingle? We think not! With our Holiday Collection officially live, we’re ready to bring the merry into your kitchen and home! This year, our holiday prints feature an artist whose style gives us all those vintage, childhood-Christmas feels. 

We’re so excited to introduce you to Daria Solak, a London-based illustrator whose work is front and center in our holiday campaign! We sat down with Daria to find out more about her creative process, personal aesthetic, and what inspires her art.

Tell us what made you an artist. In short, how did you get here? 

I’m from Poland, a country with a very strong graphic design culture. I always knew I wanted to work in the field of art and within the creative industry, but I didn’t have any definitive plans. I ended up in the graphic design department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and later also studied in Bologna. There, I fell in love with the genre of illustration and started working for an emerging design studio. 

Since then, I’ve worked as a freelance illustrator in London, where I’m lucky enough to spend most of my days drawing. 

What inspires you on a daily basis? 

I surround myself with books of beloved artists, items that stole my heart, clothes with quirky prints or colors – I’m definitely more of a maximalist and that shows in the interior of my apartment! I take inspiration from everyday life and things I see around me: architecture, color palettes I observe on the street, people’s faces (and their clothes) I’m passing by. 

Being raised in post-communist Poland, which strangely is very strong in graphic design and has a huge illustration/poster scene, makes you sensitive to the design that surrounds you everywhere. – like beautiful neons above shops and typography on street posters. I love to follow fashion trends in shows and magazines. The beauty of the models, fabrics, prints and accents always inspire me. 

Tell us a bit about your creative process.

I always start from a tiny sketch – just to catch the composition and the general idea. I usually draw each element separately and then combine them digitally; I only rarely challenge myself to draw everything in one piece. This method allows me to check whether the imaged concept works or not, and whether I need to modify some parts. As illustrators, we learn that sometimes ideas that seem great in our heads do not work in reality or we’re not able to translate them to paper. Over the years, I’ve learned which art supplies work best for me and I stick to those. 

What keeps you. Motivated to create?

All the thousands of ideas I have in my head! They’re all waiting to come to life on paper, so that’s what motivates me every day. 

Who are your biggest influences? 

I love everything vintage. Mid Century illustrators inspire me the most. Mary Blair, Miroslav Sasek, Janusz Stanny. I love the forms they were using, the colors, humor – I really hope it shows in my work. 

How would you describe your personal design aesthetic?

I love when people call my style effortless and quirky. Someone commented on one of my illustrations that my drawings are so simple that it’s very hard to copy my style. I enjoyed that a lot!

What excites you about Geometry’s products? 

I love the space Geometry brings for various artists. It’s a pure expression and celebration of creativity on a great quality product needed by everyone. I really value companies that value people – both artists and customers. 

What inspired this collection? 

Just like my everyday practice, this collection was inspired by mid-century design: simple forms mixed with strong color and hand-made textures – and a pinch of humor. I wanted this collection to bring the essence of Christmas in simple and charming designs. If people are displaying them in their homes or simply using them, my job is done.

Check out Daria’s whimsical, quirky and straight-up merry prints now!