Nikolay Saveliev

I'm dedicating this blog post to an up-and-coming graphic design artist, Nikolay Saveliev, whom I discovered while reading Print Magazine's 20 Best Graph Artists Under 30. Saveliev, who is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design. While still studying, Saveliev left for NYC, where he tried his hand at go-go dancing. After realizing that it wasn't one of his best decisions, he returned to school to complete his degree before trying the NYC scene one more time. 

Through the variety of branding jobs he worked, Nikolay developed his own style of illustrations where he could create his own worlds. Eventually, he gained attention through his designs via freelance and personal projects. Saveliev says that he is influenced by 80's New Wave Music and even religion, even though he isn't particularly religious from a personal standpoint.

"I like the higher-up mysticism," he says, "which is a lot like design, a lot like art--it's trying to communicate something that's not tangible until you create it." (credit to printmag.com) 

Here's one of Saveliev's featured works on printmag.com: