Harry Russell fell for film photography in Falmouth, a small seaside town on the English coast — but commercial photography never sat right. A year of bartending and a growing pile of posters and collage later, graphic design clicked. Now working in Melbourne as Hazey Design, he's a year into 'The Melbournian', an illustration series riffing on The New Yorker's covers, capturing the city one issue at a time.
The work channels Edward Hopper: still, unpopulated scenes in the forest greens and burnt oranges of a Canadian childhood. Harry calls it 'The Art of Noticing'. His philosophy is just as clear-eyed — constraints make better work, nobody hands you space, and keeping the faith through the coffee-making years is the real first test.
Can you tell us a little about your first few steps in your career. Was there a moment or experience when you realised this was what you'd do as a career?
My dream to become a full time artist started at university, I studied photography in Falmouth, which is a beautiful little seaside town in England. I fell in love with film photography and wanted to pursue a career as an artist ever since then. I thought about how I could monetise the creative skills I had developed, but I hated the idea of doing commercial photography. After I moved back home and spent a year of bartending in the UK, I had a small collection of little posters and collage pieces that I had been making in my spare time, and someone suggested the idea of pursuing graphic design. During this time, my love for illustration resurfaced, and I realised that I could use these skills to become a powerhouse of a designer. That's when the path really clicked for me.
What lessons from your career have most shaped your style and approach?
My work doesn't reach its full potential until it has creative constraints. You can sit down at a desk with a blank piece of paper on your desk, and live in that freedom of "I can create anything I want" but you quickly realise this is pretty daunting. My best work has come out of the most frustrating briefs, that challenge is exhilarating, knowing that you could take someone's idea, and solve the puzzle of how to make it work.
Tell us about the core values or philosophies that guide your creative practice.
The biggest way to get ahead as an artist is to carve out your space, no one is going to do it for you. Opportunities will come and go but when you feel like you've hit a wall, you need to create your own opportunities.
What needs to change, so emerging and under-represented creative professionals have more opportunity, are seen and heard?
Artists need a universal platform that actually works. a space with no gatekeeping for creatives of all skill levels, shapes and sizes to come together and share their work. Collectives like The Design Kids that welcome new creatives around the world, are essential for people like me to feel connected to their communities. It's so important that artists find their people - because this career can be incredibly isolating if you don't surround yourself with people who can challenge you, relate to you, and support your mission.
How important is it that creative professionals find their unique voice?
The creative world is infinitely saturated, probably more than ever before. Some people tell you not to stick to one style, to become a creative chameleon, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, The best way to stand out as an artist is to narrow down your style across every piece that you make. Collecting elements and small details that you liked from the last thing you made, and adding up all of these tiny choices to curate a style that feels like it's 'yours'. This is why AI is totally worthless for creating meaningful artwork, it lacks history, a journey. A destination without a journey is easy, but you don't learn anything from it. Your experience is what makes your work stand out, as long as you remain true to that experience, your work will feel authentic.
Looking ahead, what do you think are the key factors that will influence change for creative professionals?
I think AI is obviously on the minds of creatives right now, wondering whether our jobs will be erased because of this new and widely accessible technology. But with any new technology, there's going to be a time where it's the new toy to play with, but I think the novelty will wear off. The imperfection that comes with human creation will become something much more valuable, some businesses will still use AI, but I feel businesses that don't will end up being the ones that people really pay attention to. As creatives, we need to remember that our history is what makes us, even our worst work is more valuable to us than anything AI can make.
How much does your city influence your work?
Melbourne Is basically a design textbook, the amount of incredible design on display in this city is pretty unbelievable. For about a year now, I've been working on a series of Illustrations called 'The Melbournian' (based on 'The New Yorker' magazine). It started when I visited an amazing wine bar in the city called 'Waxflower' - I was sitting at the bar taking a few pictures of the DJ setup, and I was frustrated at how badly my phone was for capturing the atmosphere. I realised it would be a really great challenge to be able to draw a composition based on the images I took, and then I might be able to capture it in the way I wanted. That was a year ago, and I just finished the fourth 'Melbournian' issue this week, depicting the State Library in the heart of the city.
How much does your culture influence your work?
I have a couple of answers for this question: Growing up in Canada, the visuals of Canadian autumn have been ingrained in my brain since I was young, a big part of my colour palette is influenced by the spectrum of deep forest greens and burnt orange hues.
Music is also a big part of my inspiration as an artist, I listen to music pretty much all the time, and whenever I post my work on instagram, it doesn't feel complete until I can pair the post with a song that fits the vibe of the piece. That's my favourite way of packaging my art and sending it off into the world.
One of my biggest influences is the painter Edward Hopper. I love the way that he choses to present his world, the stillness of his scenes are so peaceful. If you take a look at 'The Melbournian' series in particular, you'll notice that, (similar to Hoppers work) the world is usually unpopulated. This is the same in my photography work as well, I like to approach my work from a perspective of appreciating the moment, otherwise known as 'The Art of Noticing'.
Tell us some of your favourite, creative professionals and inspiring places in your city!
The city only settles for excellence, we are so lucky to have so many beautifully designed restaurants, cafes, and bars. Not only in the brand identity, but the interior design and atmosphere that some places have curated. It's pretty easy to walk down a street in a Melbourne suburb and find somewhere noteworthy to frequent. I also think it's worth mentioning the talented muralists and graffiti artists in the city, creating striking visuals and experimenting with typography in a really interesting way. This city is far from average, and it's keeping the bar high.
What should emerging creative professionals keep in mind as they begin their design career?
It's tough out there, and there's a lot of doubt that comes with this career, especially in this economy. I still have to make coffees to get by, and hospitality is really the artists first challenge - to be able to keep the faith and continue making your work in your spare time, despite feeling exhausted by working in an industry that you don't belong in. Those artists that push past that awkward phase between university and their first 'real job'... Those are the ones who will get through to the other side. Just keep the faith, and remember to keep sharing your experience, you'll find your audience.
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