Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References

The work of Joe Mortell takes you from a daybed in the rainforest to a retro-futuristic cinema in the swipe of a thumb. But it's his home city of London that brings him the most architectural inspiration.

Having worked as a graphic designer since the age of 16, Mortell's "official" training came from Central Saint Martins, from where he graduated in 2011. A few agency-type jobs came first, but in 2016 he landed a role at the New York Times. Still based in London, he spent his spare time experimenting with programs such as Cinema4D and other 3D visualization software – a move that would change his entire career.

"It felt like an entirely new creative outlet, letting me explore surreal and imaginative spaces," he told Hypebeast. "Initially, it was a personal hobby — creating abstract animations and surreal scenes— but as I experimented with it more and posting my work, I started attracting clients and transitioned to working in 3D in 2019."

"I like to mix these retro-futuristic designs in natural settings"

In the years since, he's gained an enviable client list, and created spaces you could only dream of being in – either because they're in a totally surreal landscape, or because they look like they're from the future, yet the past all at once.

A quick scroll through Mortell's Instagram grid allows you to get a general sense of the styles he favors, with the designer citing the likes of Joe Colombo, John Lautner, and Verner Panton as huge influences. "My main points of reference have been retro-futurism and organic-shaped interiors and architecture from the 1960’s to 1980’s," he says, adding that a lot of his own furniture tends to be of the the mid-century space age style. "In my own work, I like to mix these retro-futuristic designs in natural settings or public spaces like an experimental cinema," he adds.

Green, it seems, is also a color he likes to work with: "There are times when I’ve been driving around in my bright green car and realized I’m also wearing green trousers and a green t-shirt. I guess I just have a natural desire for all things green," he says.

When it comes to creating an image, Mortell says generally, he's already got a loose concept in mind but will utilize Midjourney to show him routes he might have considered. He then delves into his collection of references and develops ideas for textures, landscapes, and different architectural elements.

Many of the latter come from his home city of London – "it is home to some of my favorite buildings", citing The Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, National Theatre, and Tate Modern as some of his favorites. "Almost every time I visit one of them I find something interesting that I can use as a reference."

Rather than sketching anything out, he goes straight into Cinema4D. "It allows me to quickly experiment with composition, lighting, and camera angles, iterating until the space starts to feel right."

It's this flexibility that Mortell feels the rapidly developing world of 3D visualizations can bring to the wider design industries.

"The speed in which you can iterate and experiment with ideas makes the design process so much easier. Now with AI, it’s accelerated so much faster," he says. "With programs like Unreal Engine becoming more and more powerful, I really see interactive projects becoming easier to create."

Joe Mortell was recently featured in our editorial series "Constellations", which gives designers a platform to connect with one another. Head to the Hypeform Instagram account to see it.

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Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References

Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References

Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References

Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References

Joe Mortell's Surreal Spaces are Full of Retro References