Saul Duffin (YEO Magazine) - Designer & Illustration

I'm a Belfast-based designer, illustrator and founder of YEO Magazine, a print and digital platform celebrating music, art and culture across Ireland. My work combines bold illustration, strong typography and social media strategy to build creative communities, amplify local voices and make design feel accessible.

I found the theme Islands of Design to be pretty natural to my practice, with YEO being a project I embarked on after returning to this island with an urge to uncover creative stories from here. My work always seems to carry a bit of local flair - whether it's magazine layouts, illustrated typography or social campaign copy.

In many ways, YEO itself could be seen as a wee island. It's a mostly solo, freelance project that also tries to connect other "islands" - artists, musicians, designers and makers who might otherwise be working away in their own small corners. It gives them a shared platform to be seen, celebrated and linked together.

Coming from Belfast, I'm always aware of the tension between isolation and connection - that urge to stand apart while still wanting to belong. I think that energy creates some of the most interesting designs here. I love seeing Irish designers dive into heritage and local influence, but seeing how they reach outward, creating some nice and unexpected fusions.

"For me, "Islands of Design" is about finding your own style and seeing how it fits into the world - or even better, how it doesn't at all."

I'd love to see everyone's sketchbooks. For me, a lot of the stuff I'm most proud of (and get the most joy out of) is often that early-stage sketching and doodling that probably no one will ever see. Working out ideas for a brief or better still - just drawing for some peace of mind is the part of the process that makes my wee heart sing.

So I'd love to get a glimpse into different designers' raw creativity and a peek into their minds at a pop-up exhibition. I'd also love to see an exhibition on some Belfast event posters from throughout the years, as this is probably the thing that I have the largest output of at this stage of my career. Producing sometimes 3 gig posters a month for 5 years has given me a heap of appreciation for a good gig poster, and I'd love to walk in and see how designers from here have approached them over time.

I'm noticing a real increase in people using Al for design, so I'd love to see that stop. I'd like to see more risk-taking, individuality and self-belief from designers here and using design as a vehicle for good.