In the Moment with Instax: Johan Johnston – Hasie & The Robots

Funky, sci-fi, organic and with a splash of androids, we just love the designs of Johan Johnston of Hasie & The Robots. In fact, he as customised two Instax Mini cameras with his swanky drawings. The Instax team caught up with him in Cape Town.

How did you get started in art and design? Was this something that appealed from a young age?

I have always been a creative kid, with Lego and Star Wars being big influences. Art was part of my schooling and I naturally progressed from there. I appreciated how mechanical things worked and how much Nutella I could eat before seeing sounds!

Tell us more about your company Hasie & The Robots.

Hasie & The Robots is a creative agency that I have built up over a long period. It started small, and every project, wall, custom paint and Instax customisation helped to raise it to a higher level and a new audience. The name comes from the two parts of my life, “Hasie” is the nickname my Mum gave me and the “Robots” is all about robots!

We really love the customisations you did of the Instax Mini 11!

Thank you! It’s a tricky thing to paint something fully in 3D dimensions, but it makes for a great challenge. The design was a combination of colours and line art, and a mashup of organic and robotic.

If someone wants to customise their own Instax, what should they remember?

Prep and plan, get the right tools, watch the right videos and don’t be scared to just go for it.

How do you manage to stay creative? Do you go through dry patches? What helps to get the creativity flowing again?

I do go through my dry patches, it’s the reality of being a creative person. But you need to step back, recharge your batteries and come back swinging. I found the best way to do that is to immerse yourself in nature.