This Agency Is Making Art Inspired by Weird Instagram Account Names

Kvell, the creative studio and influencer collective, is pretty obsessed with Instagram. The @meetkvell Instagram account is only a few followers shy of 100,000—an impressive milestone indeed—and a lot of client projects involve making content for the photo sharing service. 

Here’s a quirky side project that Kvell is doing, also involving Instagram: The agency commissioning its favorite Instagram artists to create visuals inspired by the funniest Instagram account names out there. The result is a fun series of photos and illustrated posted to the @InstaHandleProject account. 

Here are some examples: 

Account name: @cloudymoose
Designer: @levibrownphoto

Account name: @hardboiledbabe
Designer: @alistairmatthews

Account name: @discount_fannypack
Designer: @baiardiny

Account name: @neonburgers
Designer: @jennagang

Account name: @hippocactus
Designer: @graphicporn

Kvell doesn’t pay the designers. This is a passion project that gives both the designers and the accounts they highlight some exposure. 

Muse spoke to Kvell co-founder Adam Rosenberg more about the project.

Muse: Where did the idea come from for the Insta Handle Project? 
Adam Rosenberg: We were looking to create fun, unbranded content with the artists we post on our @meetkvell account on Instagram. After stumbling on the account name @mermaidmeatloaf and @fluffysoda, we had a lightbulb moment and the Insta Handle Project was born. We commissioned the most talented artists on Instagram to visualize the funniest Instagram handles to create engaging content. This project has not only generated great content, but it has become our process to vet content creators for branded projects. 

Is there a process for choosing which handles to feature? 
We’re always on Instagram, so when we come across an account name that makes us laugh, we jot it down. We then send the artist three names to choose from and they pick and use the selected account name as the creative brief to create their content. 

How do you pick the photographers and designers to create the images?
We’re constantly looking for new content creators on Instagram to collaborate with. When we find someone we’d love to work with, we DM them on Instagram and ask if they’re interested in the project. Once they give us the green light, we send them three names to pick from that we think align with their visual style. 

Do you get the people behind the handles involved at all?
No. We just love surprising them once the art has been created. 

It’s obviously a fun diversion, but is there a deeper meaning or goal behind the Insta Handle Project? 
The goal of the project is to discover the freshest talent on Instagram and see if we jive together. If there’s chemistry and professionalism, we add them to our trusted artist collective, which we then tap into on branded work. 

You’ve done 20 images in a little over a year. Can you speak about a few of your favorites, and what you liked about them?
Our top three: 

Account name: @TheFriedMonster
Designer: @j.m.navarro

This is our favorite and a huge hit with our Instagram community. We love the visual twist and the simplicity of elements to convey the concept.

Account name: @BreadLoafMotel
Designer: @pom.ello

We love the creativity behind this concept, and how she used the bread loaf as the motel structure to create a Wes Anderson esque composition. 

Account name: @SushiTrash
Designer: @theonigiriart

When we came across this account name we knew @theonigiriart would be the perfect artist to bring the name to life. We love how he created a trash bag out of salmon and perfectly placed it on white plate. 

Why did you pick Luciano Diaz to design your latest one, and what do you think of his completed image? 
We commissioned Luciano to create @sadcandlesalad after discovering his work last month. We love his playful nature and believed that his illustration style could really bring @sadcandlesalad to life in a whimsical way. 

Account name: @sadcandlesalad
Designer: @lucianodiazd