One Creative Studio Aren’t Just Catching Our Beloved Characters But Adding Their Own Revamped Twist We have become a world obsessed with Pokémon. We are taking the long route to work to catch them, spending our hard earned cash on extra pokeballs and exploring our local area and meeting our neighbours (also out catching them) for the first time. MUTI, a creative studio founded by a team of inspired young South African designers looking to bring their craft to the world, have put their own, unique spin, on this current craze. To celebrate 20 years of Pokémon, they reinvented their favourite characters using a variety of styles and techniques, reflecting their personal interpretation of them, to create an online exhibition. From a rather pious Ivysaur, in what appears to be a stained glass window not amiss in a place of worship, to a vengeful and rather menacing, Gengar. The comical, creative and at times, truly beautiful, collection showcase the talent of the team and the ability of art to change our perceptions. When the team aren’t designing morphing Squirtles, they are hard at work and various high profile campaigns. They have collaborated with Nike, TIME Magazine and are currently working on a project for National Geographic. “We’ve been fortunate to work on some great campaigns over the years, working on the travel posters for Ster Kinekor was hard work but really rewarding in the end”, creative director of MUTI, Clinton Campbell told us. Here’s what else he had to say – disclaimer: we mainly asked him about Pokemon. The Plus: Who, or what, is MUTI? MUTI: MUTI is a creative studio that specialises in illustration. There are three founding partners, Brad, Miné and Clint who work together with their creative team of seven talented illustrators. TP: Is the Pokemon series a collaborative collection? MUTI: We’re always looking to keep things fresh and interesting in the studio and self-initiated projects are a big part of that. We wanted everyone in the studio to give their interpretation of their chosen Pokémon in their own style. We kept it just open to our studio members but had a few people sending us their own versions because they were really inspired by it. TP: Why do you think that Pokemon have stood the test of time? MUTI: The concept of Pokémon is really unique and continues to capture people’s imagination. There so many facets to the movement, the toys, anime, games, comics, there’s a lot of depth. They’ve also continued to make new Pokémon which has kept things exciting – although the first generation are our favourite. TP: Of all the designs, which is your favourite illustration style and why? MUTI: That’s tough to answer, each illustration style brings some of the artist’s personality into the Pokémon so they’re all unique in their own special way. We love them all! TP: If MUTI was a Pokemon, what characteristics would it have? MUTI: We would be a mystical Pokémon with the ability to adapt and shape-shift TP: How important is the space in which you create? MUTI: The physical space is very important, we spend many hours of the week here so it needs to function well and also be a welcoming, fun space where you can be creative. We’re always looking at ways to improve the studio and make it a rad place to hang out. Just as important as the space is the people, being surrounded by a talented team means we all push each other creatively and work together to create inspiring artworks. Cape Town is an amazing place and we’re surrounded by so much natural beauty that it keeps a balance between the outdoors and city life. TP: What’s next for you? MUTI: We’re slowly getting into animation, starting small with looping gifs and having a lot of fun with those. We hope to grow this area of our portfolio so keep watching this space!
