Nate
In a heartwarming display of creativity and community service, a digital artist known as Max Kolomatsky has captured the attention of folks on TikTok and Instagram by creatively transforming NYC’s urban landscape and redesigning fliers for free to add visual appeal.
His unique series showcases his talent in a very public way: he goes around New York City, finds a variety of fliers, and then redesigns them entirely on his own initiative. These redesigned fliers, which he shares on his TikTok channel, transform mundane or poorly designed signs into visually appealing works of art.
His spontaneous acts of design not only beautify the city’s streets and bring a new level of attention and effectiveness to the messages these fliers intend to convey. Max’s initiative is a perfect blend of urban artistry and altruism, resonating with viewers far beyond the streets of NYC.
On TikTok, @cool_lookin_bug mesmerizes viewers with videos of him creatively redesigning various New York street fliers.
“So, I’ve been redesigning signs in New York City without anyone asking me to.”
“For instance, take this flier that I found for Mayra the dog walker. Don’t get me wrong, this photo is incredible. But in a city with a million signs on the street, Mayra’s design just doesn’t pop.”
“So, I went ahead and made Mayra a logo by modifying a vintage font”
“Then I added some cute illustrations and comforting colors that reflect the warmth and playfulness that shines through in her photo. I couldn’t draw Mayra in a way that would top this, so I found a way for her original photo to shine through my design. But hold on just a second.”
“As I’m putting up Mayra’s flier, I noticed a second Mayra flier. Guys, Mayra is a certified hustler.”
“It’s a good thing I already established her brand identity, which makes creating the second flier for her babysitting business much easier.
See, I don’t know who Mayra is. But hopefully, after all this, the Mayra brand, the Empire is gonna be known by the whole neighborhood.”
View the TikTok video here:
@cool_lookin_bug Welcome to the Mayra extended universe. Music by @Miles? #art #design
Max Kolomatsky, or Max Kolo, better known on TikTok as @cool_lookin_bug, is a super-talented digital artist and filmmaker from New York City.
He’s freelanced on some cool projects like drawing for the New York Times, making animations for Vans Shoes, creating a viral series for Adobe, and directing a music video for Sony. But get this, he’s totally blown up on TikTok for just randomly redesigning fliers and signs around the city – pretty awesome stuff!
In an interview, Max Kolomatsky (@cool_lookin_bug on TikTok) shared the creative process behind his TikTok series of redesigning fliers. He spends hours in New York searching for charming, yet poorly designed fliers from individuals or small businesses, seeing each as a treasure that sparks his creativity. Drawing inspiration from his collection of photos, Instagram screenshots, and Pinterest boards, Max aims to match the vibe of each flier to its audience and brand, challenging his art style.
Since going viral, he’s been inundated with design requests from small businesses, but due to his freelance commitments, he continues to choose fliers he finds himself redesigning for free.
Max shared a memorable experience about redesigning a flier for the goth band, Miss Teen America. While he was proud of his work, he learned that the goth community preferred the original’s amateur vibe, highlighting a clash between professional aesthetics and counterculture authenticity.
This insight shaped his approach to future projects. Despite initial mixed reactions, the band eventually discovered Max’s video, loved his redesign, and even met up with him to get signed copies of his work.
TikTok viewers praised Mayra’s entrepreneurial spirit in a poster redesigned by Max.
