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A 3D render of three ethereal, translucent figures with white hair and long eyelashes floating in a pale blue void. Their bodies are fluid and distorted, with some limbs trailing off into swirling, ribbon-like forms. Text at the bottom lists the date “25.03.2022”, the venue “Club Variete”, and the names “Baby Val”, “Ayshat Campbell” and “Jamira Estrada”.

Step into the kinetic world of Dimitri Erhard's future-facing graphic design

The graphic designer talks us through the chaos of work that's always changing, and how to stay inspired in a constantly moving world.

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Date
1 March 2023

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Basel-based Dimitri Erhard's graphic design is so endlessly creative that we're sure he's destined for great things in his career. Each piece takes two, three, maybe four times to wrap your head around – but what's always immediately apparent is how aesthetically stunning they all are. Pushing the frontier of digital aesthetics with Matrix-like elements, they are at once futuristic as they are contemporary. “Spending a lot of time outside, while simultaneously having access to my dad’s computer, experimenting with CAD softwares and stop-motion maybe had an important influence on me,” he tells It's Nice That.

Dimitri's work, although predominantly based in graphic design, ranges from type design through to animation. “This variation is also reflected in my process, where I try to work with different techniques that give me the opportunity to capture things in a new way, to create an ever-changing view of my work,” he says. “The process of learning and mastering new programs and analogue techniques gives me a certain limitless range of possibilities to express my creativity without any restrictions.” As a result, his process can become “quite chaotic”, whether it's a pencil drawing, generating an engine or chopping a soapstone. “It’s all about getting somewhere with the tools I feel comfortable with or that caught my interest,” Dimitri explains.

Overall, a constant reference for Dimitri remains the human body and movement. “A lot of my work is based on a real person’s movement that I capture,” he says. “From there it can become a movement for a 3D-character, turned into an abstract shape or something symbolic like a letter.” With each piece, Dimitri always tries to stray from the norm and keep it wholly original.

GalleryCopyright © Dimitri Erhard, 2023

A black and white 3D render of blurred, organic shapes that resemble reaching hands or tentacles. Below the image, text reads “Akanbi + Somatic Rituals” above a row of distorted, abstract numerals. Smaller text at the bottom lists the date “30 08 2019” and an address in Basel.
Two digital illustrations on a white background. The first shows a symmetrical, blue glowing shape resembling a stylized flower or emblem, and the second shows a glowing blue figure of a person in a seated pose.
A vinyl record sits inside a white sleeve featuring an abstract, fluid design in orange and blue. The sleeve is decorated with embossed circles and geometric shapes across its surface.
A black and white graphic poster featuring a bold, abstract white shape containing several black circles. The top of the image reads “FOPU 007” and “20.01 2023”. Below, a list of DJs includes “Baba Sy”, “Mbodj”, “Mookie”, “Kombé”, “Mafou” and “Mukuna”, alongside the venue “Bar Rouine”.
A 3D render of a surreal figure with black, tentacle-like limbs and an orange body. A white circular graphic with blue symbols is laid over the centre of the composition. Beside it, a close-up of a textured orange fabric with a raised sunburst pattern. A small white label at the bottom contains various blue and green icons and small text.
A digital illustration of a figure in a high-tech suit against a bright orange background. Text on the poster reads “Lu Yang”, “Kunsthalle Basel” and “Lu Yang Vibratory Field”.
Two vinyl record sleeves featuring abstract, symmetrical patterns in blue, white and black. The left sleeve shows a high-contrast, speckled design, while the right sleeve features a soft, 3D rendered form.

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Copyright © Dimitri Erhard, 2023

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About the Author

Joey Levenson

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Joey is a freelance design, arts and culture writer based in London. They were part of the It’s Nice That team as editorial assistant in 2021, after graduating from King’s College, London. Previously, Joey worked as a writer for numerous fashion and art publications, such as HERO Magazine, Dazed, and Candy Transversal.

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