Artist and Entrepreneur Jethro Olba on the Creative Career Path
Local Illustrator and Entrepreneur Jethro Olba
I am Jethro Olba, a 24-year-old designer & illustrator based in Las Pinas City, Philippines. I focus on lowbrow and surrealism illustrations that embody the concept of nostalgia and the things I consumed on TV when I was a kid.
I am the co-founder and design director of Odin and Grotesk Design Studio, a Manila-based boutique creative studio that specializes in Illustrative Branding, Graphic Design, Illustration, and 3D.
I also run a clothing brand called Antibiotic Smile wherein we pay homage to 80s - early 2000s pop culture.
Icons Designed for Local Brand Distorted
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR ART STYLE?
My works are heavily inspired by 80s - early 2000s pop culture.
My illustrations are always identified to be vibrant, dynamic, weird, highly detailed, and full of squiggly lines!
I also run a clothing brand called Antibiotic Smile wherein we pay homage to 80s - early 2000s pop culture.
Icons Designed for Local Brand Distorted
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR ART STYLE?
My works are heavily inspired by 80s - early 2000s pop culture.
My illustrations are always identified to be vibrant, dynamic, weird, highly detailed, and full of squiggly lines!
WHAT'S YOUR TECHNOLOGY CONSUMPTION LIKE?
The usual suspects—Macbook for work and graphic design, iPad for illustrations, and a smartphone for social media.
The Antibiotic Smile 'Nomads' Tee
WHAT IS YOUR CLOTHING BRAND ANTIBIOTIC SMILE ALL ABOUT?
The Antibiotic Smile brand aimed to epitomize the concept of nostalgia, paying homage to 80s - early 2000s pop culture. We wanted to stray from rebellious identities—less hip-hop and underground, more childhood and expression.
Antibiotic Smile's visual identity was inspired by vintage cartoons, comic books, and classic television shows. It targeted cult classic enthusiasts with a soft spot for revisiting childhood or teenage memories.
Illustration for Retro Crime Clothing Co.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE BEING BOTH AN ARTIST AND ENTREPRENEUR?
Time management and proper organization of tasks and projects. But most importantly, I love what I am doing that's why I continue pushing on this creative career path.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG ARTISTS HOPING TO HONE THEIR SKILLS?
Find your own art style and don't be afraid to experiment. Trust yourself and your art!
Stay in touch with Jethro by following him on Instagram, checking out his clothing brand Antibiotic Smile, and his illustrative branding studio, Odin and Grotesk Design Studio!