Thank you for braving my site, Stranger!
I'm a Finnish freelance web/graphic designer and illustrator living and toiling away in overcrowded Tokyo. After changing my major a few times I finally got a master's degree in political economy from Hanken (a university despite the shady name) in Helsinki. Because I never really intended to work in politics, I tried out several alternative career paths before one fateful day deciding to become a designer. So I taught myself and ended up where I am today.
In my work, I strive to balance overall clarity and order with a dose of quaintness and irregularity. I have an all-consuming, almost unhealthy obsession with quirky shapes, erratic lines, bold patterns and unusual color combinations and try to infuse all of these into my goofy creations. Maybe you can also spot the austerity of my proud Nordic heritage here and there, particularly in the more minimalistic pieces.
Fine art and architecture are, oddly enough, my biggest sources of inspiration. The random paint blobs and brush strokes evident in fine art works are peculiarly intriguing as are the clean-cut geometric shapes in most modern architecture. This means that you can usually find me incessantly ogling art and architecture tomes in some conveniently located bookshop whenever I get a sudden creative block and a scary deadline is looming. Sometimes I stand there even without such a compelling reason. I also love nature and occasionally escape the city with all its tempting book dealers to enjoy a refreshing walk in the wild.
I work mostly with pen and paper and have a seriously impressive collection of both. This compulsive addiction to stationery drives both me and my significant other(s) nearly mad, but I won't let myself be cured anytime soon. My computer collection is much less impressive but still serves me well, especially in the final stages of my curious work process. As I'm afraid I definitely have a streak of this, I unfortunately get quite anal with my pixels every now and then to ensure that rigorous quality standards are being met.
When not drawing, loafing around in bookstores or enlarging my stationery collection, I go to places less traveled and take arty photos. I also peruse the odd novel and movie, listen to repetitive music and do exercise of the somewhat dangerous kind. Because I've also inherited a stubborn interest in languages, I've become more or less fluent in Swedish (my cherished mother tongue), Finnish, English, German, French and Japanese.
I'm always on the lookout for something, including fun and challenging new design projects. If you like what I've done and want me to give your stuff a similar treatment, then don't hesitate and just tell me so, dammit!