Elisabetta Calabritto
Food Triptych by Elisabetta Calabritto
Elisabetta Calabritto is an illustrator, graphic designer, and icon designer based in London. She uses a wide range of tools to create visual narratives and make complex ideas understandable. She has collaborated with a variety of clients including Fast Company, TIME, and The World Bank. In 2019, she partnered with Noun Project to design the Redefining Women icon collection - a collection of 60+ icons that represent women in design, tech, and leadership positions.
We spoke with Elisabetta to learn more about her work, where she finds inspiration, and the power of visual language to have a positive impact on the world.
Hi Elisabetta! Tell us about yourself - how did you get to where you are today and when did you first become interested in design?
I’m originally from a small town in Northeastern Italy, in a region close to Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. I am very lucky to have grown up with a variety of historic, visual and cultural influences around me (and let’s not forget about the food!). I was a curious child, always asking “Why?”, and became interested science, which is a passion of mine. I discovered that I have a very good visual memory and I entered the world of graphic design to try to help explain difficult concepts to people like me, who love complexity but sometimes don’t fully understand them, using infographics. Later in my career, I added illustration and icon design to my skillset. It has been a slow development really, kind of like growing a bonsai. Then, after working in Milan I had the opportunity to move from Italy to the United Kingdom.
I personally think that most of the time great opportunities come from meeting the right people, who believe in you and your skills. Before throwing myself into the freelance world I was fortunate to work for companies that gave me the opportunity to learn. Currently, I am very happy to be represented by LoveBlood Creative, a small but fierce illustration agency. They believed in me and gave me the chance to be part their artist pool.
“Me” by Elisabetta Calabritto
How would you describe your aesthetic and how has your design style changed over time?
Interesting question. I think for now my aesthetic can be defined as “interchangeable.” I feel my style has changed a lot in the past couple of years, from geometric to more organic. But mostly, it depends on the project. I always try to challenge myself by going out of my comfort zone and pushing it a little bit further every time. At the same time, I try to improve on the styles I am more comfortable with already. You can never stop learning!
What have been some of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on recently?
This is a very challenging question for me as it is almost equivalent to asking a parent who is their favorite child! All of my projects are a product of love and creativity and I have enjoyed each of them for different reasons. These are a few that I can name currently:
1) 2020 The Year in Language. I have had the pleasure of creating five spot illustrations for Time Magazine to represent the key words which symbolizes the unique year of 2020. I had the chance to recreate them in a fun way, and it helped me very much at the end of a very difficult year.
2) The evergreen Redefining Women icon collection. This particular project gave me the opportunity to create something useful for the positive change of society.
3) This one is more of a category than one project and it is my all time favorite when I need some comfort: Food Illustrations. Any time I have had the opportunity, I love illustrating food. I find it relaxing and good for the soul (and stomach)!
Where do you find creative inspiration?
I have a strict but mundane daily routine in place that helps me a lot with finding inspiration. For me, it is not going somewhere specific (like museums, reading books, etc.) that gives me creative inspiration. It is more of a state of mind as I still get brilliant ideas even when I am deeply bored. A routine actually helps me create a space in mind that activates my creativity.
As an icon designer, do you think that icons have the power to influence public opinion and positively influence the world?
I believe that icons play an important part in shaping society. Look around and you’ll see how many icons we use to do things, to help inform us and make us think.
Take bathroom icons for example. These icons define a space where we are vulnerable, so it’s a very delicate matter. Those icons are on the front of a door and are the first social signal that tell to us where we should go. For a long time designers have been trying to find alternatives in order to represent rightfully in one shot female and male, or a unisex bathroom. And this is so powerful, because even an everyday symbol such a bathroom icon can have layers of meaning and cultural heritage, and also categorize our identity as a person.
Then, the second part of the “icon’s job,” is to try to make a positive impact. It takes time and persistence, and it goes hand by hand with society and politics. It will be always an everyone effort.
Body icon collection by Elisabetta Calabritto
Do you have any favorite design resources?
My usual go-to is Pinterest, but mostly “real life.” I have an extensive photo collection (photos taken by me) of places I’ve been to, or situations.
What advice would you give to designers who are just starting out?
To be patient and not to rush things - go slow, building a career takes time. You need to collect experiences first, so listen and learn, but without being afraid to speak out. Avoid toxic working environments, those are not good for creativity and your health. Do not be afraid to hustle, but still find the right life balance (work is not the end all and be all). Be flexible as well, sometimes things do not go as planned and it is fine. Don’t limit your knowledge, be savvy, go and try to understand the world around you! And last but not least, my favorite, be tidy in your work. Keep your files, workspace, and folders tidy. Personally, I find chaos very distracting for creativity, a tidy working space enhances creativity!
Thank you for sharing with us Elisabetta! To see more of Elisabetta’s work visit elisabettacalabritto.com and view more of her icon collections, available on Noun Project.
All images courtesy of Elisabetta Calabritto.