“I don’t have one single style, but I definitely have a preference,” says Thomas Becke, from his home studio in Porto Alegre, Brazil. “I mean, I like vector illustrations — the simple, organic and geometric shapes are great for interfaces — but I prefer the texture I can get in digital painting. The handcrafted visual style I find interesting to explore. One style I really don’t understand is ultra minimalism. My work can be kind of extra, I’m good at layering a lot of things in my design, not so good at just using all the same stroke.”
It’s natural that Thomas has forged a creative career since he has grown up in a family of artists. “My mother has always done a lot of craft things, and my sisters are designers, too. My big sister is a fashion designer and my other sister is a UX/UI designer. I was born in a family that has a lot of love, but a lot of art too. As a child, drawing was like art therapy for me to express myself, and it still sometimes is.”
Thomas has chosen to keep some of the whimsy of childhood in his adult life, too. “I grew up with a lot of animation," he says. “Disney and Dreamworks and that kind of thing — and it’s made part of me that kind of silly person that believes in magic. I like to let myself believe in Santa Claus and his elves, because why not??” He also credits it with influencing some of his highly successful commercial work. “When I was a child, I loved to create monsters. I think my mascot and my character design process really started there, and I’ve tried to keep hold of that kind of imagination.”
In his hometown of Porto Alegre, near the border with Uruguay in southern Brazil, Thomas makes the most of the city’s sub-tropical climate and friendly culture. “We have a lot of coffee shops here,” he says. “They’re really busy and social. Like the coffee shop on Friends. You can sit and just read a book or do your job or draw something. There’s always someone to watch or talk to. People are friendly.”
The city boasts expansive green spaces by the water that Thomas loves. “Something that really inspires me here is the balance of the mix of the city and nature. We have trees all over the city, not just like in one area — we have a lot of trees even in places that we shouldn't have trees, we have trees,” he laughs. “Like, a tree will just grow out of the street and we don’t cut it down, we just keep it there and go around it. It makes for the most beautiful streets in the world. If I’m blocked creatively, I’ll just go walk around the parks and the trees.”
Unsurprisingly, Thomas’s favorite projects have a tangibility and tactility to them as well. “The kind of project that I really like is a physical project,” he says. “Like packaging or books. There’s something to being able to hold a beautifully designed thing in your hand, I think it makes a product or a brand more memorable. I’d love to do a children’s fable book. I like to put storytelling into my projects too, and consider how my small decisions can help tell a story with feelings and textures. Give people details to pay attention to and think ‘oh, this is so nice.’ I love that I can make a difference to how people feel about a product.”
