The intersection of commercial and recreational art and design help us to identify and define specific era’s and moments in history. Who can look at neon lights and VHS overlays without thinking vaporwave, and by extension, the 80’s? Small key details in a design can serve as references within our collective consciousness, taking us back to times even before we were born (I’m talking the sketchy, handmade aesthetics of 50’s movie posters… not coming for any 80’s babies). The best part of these aesthetics is how easily they can be fused and built onto using modern technology, creating familiar yet revolutionary pieces allocated both in and outside of history – that’s where Creative Director Eliot Lee comes in.

Informed not only by commercial campaigns from the 2000’s and the decades prior, Eliot looks back at CGI work used in video games, music videos, and vintage Japanese fashion in order to create a body of work that is unconventional in the best way possible. As we don our rose-tinted aviator sunglasses and look back at the time of low-rise jeans and the birth of social media as we know it, Eliot’s designs manage to harness our nostalgia while expanding our perspective on what lies beyond the horizon of modern graphics and design. Bright neons, light leaks, and 3D character designs that have caught the attention of big brands such as Nike, BOSS, and beyond, Eliot Lee is creating a world you can’t help but want to live in.

Hey Eliot! So nice to speak with you – what have you been up to lately?

Hi Coeval, thanks for having me! It's great to speak with you too. I'm currently working on some character designs for a magazine launch, as well as preparing a shoe advert. Lately I've been focusing more on personal projects such as developing early CGI style animations for a 3D diary, as well as working on my first musical project.

So many exciting things to be looking out for! First of all, I am SO obsessed with your vibes! I love how you manage to create pieces that are both so nostalgic – very much giving Y2K – and so boldly original. What made you start exploring the world of CGI designs, and what are some sources of inspiration you refer to with regards to your style?

Thank you! My inspirations spread across mediums like photography, fashion design, and cinema, with a specific focus on the 80s to the 2000s time period. My main influences are artists such as British photographer Nick Knight, French commercial artist Serge Lutens, Japanese fashion designer Michiko Kitamura as well as filmmaker Sogo Ishii.

That being said, I think that my very first contact with CGI were early video game consoles, especially the PlayStation 1 – this console introduced me to the world of computer graphics at an early age. I remember vividly getting completely sucked into these virtual worlds for days, losing track of time, and being obsessed with the games I was playing (e.g.: Tekken 3, Killer 7, Virtual On). It was a great playground for a young creative mind to be thrown into, and greatly contributed to shape my aesthetic vision and some of my areas of interest – namely: Y2K aesthetic, 90's Japan CGI, video game music, and a sense of graphic singularity. Nowadays the excitement about new video games has faded somewhat, but the world of video games definitely stoked an interest in computer imagery early on.

**Namasenda - Finish Him, 2021**
artwork HANNAH DIAMOND, creative WILLIAM E. WRIGHT, visual FX ELIOT LEE, styling DANIELLE GOLDMAN, makeup SOPHIE MOORE, hair MANWIGS

Other influences that come to mind are 2000's MTV music videos by Hype Williams, and Pen & Pixel cover art for example. This was literally my daily brain food growing up - just watching music videos and playing video games.

Then during my art studies in France, as I was still very influenced by these aesthetics, I decided to go my own way and use more and more CGI in my productions. At the time it wasn’t very well-received, because it was perceived as an unconventional media and my school was encouraging us to adopt more traditional approaches. So it felt like I wasn't really fitting – it's only after graduation and starting freelancing that I started flourishing.

This absolute blast from the past you just took me on – I think that culture had been moving away from CGI and retro futurism for a while, but artists such as yourself have definitely brought it back in a huge way. I saw that earlier on in your work you would use yourself as a reference and model for your designs, even creating avatars of yourself. What was it like to create art using a virtual version of your own body, and do you feel like this helped you to refine your personal style when it comes to your CGI work? I think a lot of people feel drawn to a certain art-style, but it’s very rare to find something that you fully see yourself within.

I think the idea at the time was to play around with these ideas of identity and virtual self, and use them as means to explore my own creativity. Artists like Yen Tech or Korakrit Arunanondchai were a source of inspiration for me at the time. This approach is still a subject of interest – although nowadays I tend to focus less on my own image as a source material, and try to get a more diverse approach in terms of concept and imagery.

I think that especially right now there’s so much discourse on the ever-fusing evolution of the self into the virtual world – it’s nice to take a step away from it and express yourself in other ways. I saw that recently you’ve been designing for brands such as Nike, Massimo Dutti, and BOSS – as someone who kind of started their craft within a niche, how do you feel about so many more commercial brands turning to CGI and 3D artists to work on campaigns? Especially at the capacity with which nowadays, your personal signature is still so apparent in all of your collaborations.

I think it's natural for brands to turn to CGI as it is such a flexible medium to work with – it's also exciting to be able to create an advert by one’s own means, and have an extensive creative control. I also love the balance between personal and commercial work; it's diverse and often a challenge. In regards to working with brands, like I’ve mentioned, I've always been fascinated with 80's to 2000's adverts, especially in Japan. I consider commercial art as an artform within itself, so collaborating with brands is an achievement especially if you can still see my personal signature style!

Definitely! Commercial art is one of those things which quite literally defines an era in most cases, and to be able to contribute to that culmination is so exciting. You’ve also designed several gorgeous album covers, as well as merch designs for different artists. What is it like to collaborate with artists whose work really resonates with you, and what about this relationship, or their personal style, helps you to conceptualise your own designs?

Thanks. I really appreciate working with like-minded people – working with Hannah Diamond, William E. Wright for Namasenda's 2021 single cover, for example. It was such a blessing, as I’ve greatly admired their work for the longest time. It feels special to get attention from people you admire, it's almost unreal. It's also super nice to get to know them more personally.

It’s reaffirming to feel like there’s mutual respect and integrity in a collaborative space – especially coming from a place of admiration! With the rapid expansion of virtual spaces, it’s so nice to also see the aesthetic development of them as well. For example, the commercial space you reinvigorated featuring the Venus de Milo statue is something completely out of this world. With the capacity to now be fully immersed within a digital space, do you see yourself constructing similar projects on a larger scale?

Yes, I would love to. Actually I'm planning to build my website that way; as a fully integrated CGI space, hopefully proposing an immersive experience to the viewer. I'm also curious about the democratisation of VR headsets and so called "metaverses". I’d like to think that there will be a great potential for brands and artists to interact with their audience in an unprecedented way.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to answer these! I’m definitely looking forward to this new website, as well as your upcoming musical releases, and character designs. As one final question, I was curious as to whether or not you felt the Berlin scene has impacted your work in any way – whether it be your personal taste and preferences, the projects you’ve been able to get involved with, as well as maybe the other creatives around you?

Berlin is a great city to live in for many reasons. I met a lot of like-minded people, which helped me develop as an artist and gave me new opportunities. On a more personal level, this city impacted my lifestyle and I'm still in the process of finding a healthy life-work balance. Thanks again for inviting me and your interest in my work. This really means a lot to me!