Meet the #UndeadIdeas People’s Choice Winner: Iraida Bearlala

When we launched #UndeadIdeas we were hoping to see lots of fantastic work, rejected by clients and ready to live a new life. Our expectations were surpassed. Thanks to everyone for submitting your client-rejected work to be resurrected by Freepik. 

Aside from reviving all your amazing work, the event also had two contests going on at the same time. The Jury’s Choice and the People’s Choice, which was conducted through a voting system across the entire #UndeadIdeas gallery. 

The project with the most votes and winner of the #UndeadIdeas People’s Choice Award is Iraida Bearlala, an illustrator from Odesa, Ukraine. Her winning submission was a food poster collection in black chalkboard style. We had a short interview with her, so you can all meet her better.

Freepik: Hi Bearlala, Congratulations on winning the People’s Choice for #UndeadIdeas. Tell us about yourself.

Bearlala:  It’s always nice to win a contest, especially in the people’s choice category. My name is Iraida, and I live in the beautiful city of Odesa on the Black Sea. I work as a freelance art director and illustrator. I like trying new styles and taking new directions in illustration. I’m a Freepik contributor, and with such a great website like Freepik, no drawing will go to waste and be helpful to someone. 

Freepik: Tell us about the work you submitted. 

Bearlala: The work I submitted is a series of restaurant posters for a small fast-food chain, designed in the style of traditional black chalkboards. The classic theme was complemented by various sketch-style elements, which gave the composition a dynamic feel, with many small details attracting attention.

The client rejected them because they changed their mind and decided to create promotional posters with photographs of his own products. They said the drawings were too abstract and that photos of the actual products are much more effective in terms of sales.

Freepik: What was your inspiration for this series of restaurant posters?

Bearlala: I was inspired by classic blackboard sketch illustrations and traditional recipe books.  I mixed the styles to come up with this idea.

Freepik: Sorry that the client rejected you; how did that feel? 

Bearlala: Rejection is part of the work. My profession of commercial illustration belongs to the service industry, so we work first and foremost for the client. Marketing has to be taken into account, you have to be precise in the distribution of visual accents, and sometimes there is not much room for unrestricted creativity; the main goal is to solve marketing problems.

In commercial illustration, especially advertising illustration, there is little room for creativity. Instead, it’s a series of tasks that have to be solved correctly from a visual point of view. The end consumer must be comfortable and feel glad to take in his hands what I have designed—for example, a package of coffee or other food products. 

Freepik: Do you have any tips for overcoming rejection to share with fellow designers?

Bearlala: Getting over rejection isn’t a problem when there is Freepik. You can post your work here, and it’s certain to find a client. 

Freepik: How do you define your work and style?

Bearlala: I wouldn’t say I have a definite, settled style, although any artist has their own handwriting. I am interested in different directions, but recently I tried my hand at book illustration. My friends and I and my publishing house decided to do something light and nice. It is a children’s book about classical music, which you can listen to via QR code. The project turned out to be non-commercial but very beautiful, and children like the book. I hope to publish some of the illustrations on Instagram and Behance soon.

Freepik: Where can people follow your work and upcoming projects?

Bearlala: Everyone can follow me on Instagram and Behance. I will be happy to have new subscribers!

Thanks to everyone for participating!

We’d like to thank everyone that participated in the Freepik #UndeadIdeas event and congratulations to Iraida Bearlala and Rob Wapaño, winner of the Jury’s Choice.

Wait, before you go, do you want to sell your client-rejected work on Freepik like our winners do? Become a contributor and revive all your work that has no home.  Stay tuned for an interview with the #UndeadIdeas Jury’s Choice winner, Rob Wapaño and their work titled “Age of Strife.”