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Drip For Drip: Quirky, themed illustrations brighten up paper coffee cups

Wijtze Valkema is an illustrator currently working in Meppel, the Netherlands. After graduating in 2005 with a qualification in graphic design, and then undertaking an internship with a small design firm in Seattle, Wijtze decided to embark on a freelance career.

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Colourful paper coffee cup with illustrated silhouettes of animals and festive decorations in burgundy, yellow and green against a lime background, placed on a stack of books

"My design work had a strong lean towards illustration, and over the years I developed an illustration style that I was comfortable with using commercially. I enjoy the fast-paced, single-image world of editorial illustration and really like how my artwork both illustrates an article as well as tells a story of its own. I also love seeing my work translated to product and packaging design, apparel, identity and branding."

As a result, the illustrator set up a project called Drip for Drip, which invites designers to trade paper coffee cup designs – like Pokemon cards, if you will.

"Our cups are printed, photographed and curated on the site as well as on Instagram. The editions we've done so far were based on themes like Halloween, Animal Day, Earth Day and Cycling with artists like Bratislav Milenkovic, Chi Birmingham, Lydia Nichols and Rachel Briggs. The Instagram posts are accompanied by short profiles of the participating artists where we discuss art, our work process and coffee."

Discover more on this quirky project at dripfordrip.format.com.

Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Wijtze Valkema

Two yellow paper coffee cups with black lids decorated with colourful illustrated red and green characters, positioned on stacked vinyl records and design books
Two white paper coffee cups with black lids featuring illustrated fruit and vegetable characters beside lime slices and a strawberry
White paper coffee cup with colourful fruit illustrations and "Drip for Drip" text, topped with black lid and striped straw, alongside a fresh strawberry
Paper coffee cup with illustration of a smiling character surrounded by colourful fruit, topped with a lime wedge and red and white striped straw
Two yellow paper coffee cups with black illustrated designs of acrobats and cyclists, displayed with a metal spoon and cardboard holder on white background
Two illustrated paper coffee cups with black lids surrounded by toy vehicles, trees and a yellow slow sign, showcasing designs from the Drip for Drip project
Two decorated paper coffee cups with black lids featuring colourful illustrated characters and scenes on a yellow background, displayed on a book with a black dog figurine and red sculptural element nearby
Two illustrated paper coffee cups with black lids, a piece of tree bark and green leaves arranged on a white background for the Drip For Drip project
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