Atmospheric illustrations and fun, gridded posters characterise the portfolio of this Iceland Academy of the Arts graduate, who gives us the low-down on a life of studying and practicing graphic design in Reykjavik.
How would you describe your practice?
I specialise in illustration and design. I have worked in various styles and for me the style depends on the project at hand each time. That being said, my work is constantly evolving and I am always looking for a new method or way to surprise myself. In my spare time I like to concentrate on my art projects, which centre around painting and creative writing. I want to keep moving forward as a designer and artist by trying out different materials and ways of doing things.
You studied at the Iceland Academy of Arts, what's the course like there and what have you taken from it?
I graduated with a degree in Visual Communications from the Iceland Academy of the Arts. The school taught me a variety of things: layout, type design, branding, illustration, silk screen printing and so forth. The courses were really interesting and the teachers inspiring. I learned a lot.
Can you tell us about a professional project you've worked on.
I created artwork for the Icelandic band Vio, an alternative rock/folk/shoegaze band (if I can try to categorise them). For their debut album, Dive In, I used clay to create the album art. Through experimentation and mixing the clay with different materials I got a texture I was happy with.
What's the outlook like for young designers and illustrators in Iceland at the moment?
The graphic design scene in Iceland is very interesting at the moment, there are a lot of good designers doing cool stuff. After graduation most graphic designers don’t find it too hard to get a job of some kind.
What are you working on and what's next?
I just finished my graduation project, which is a graphical representation of the memories of Alfreð Gígja, a 38-year-old man diagnosed with depression and schizophrenia. His life is coloured by his experience of suffering violence in his youth, while he now experiences messages from the ‘beyond’ or other dimensions. Twelve images express a handful of Alfreð’s stories, representing my own interpretation of his descriptions.
I recently started working at Döðlur, which is a creative company based in Reykjavik, Iceland. I’m very excited about that and think there are a lot of new and good things about to happen at the studio. I will also continue working on my own projects on the side as well.
viktorweisshappel.com
behance.net/vwv
