Commando Sketchbook » Illustrator

The Owls Are Not What They Seem

Mari — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:07:13 +0000

We have redrawn the IFS (Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies) owl crest. Admittedly, there’s always an urge to do an ”extreme makover” when it comes to redesign. Here’s an example of how a humble and descreet makeover can be just as rewarding. In respect to the legacy of logotype, we tried to stay as close as possible to the overall apparance, while cleaning up minor flaws and inconsistencies in the original crest.

The pattern on the owl’s chest needed to be straightend out, the old pen looked suspiciously like a scalpel, the hilt of the sword had grown into the owl’s body and the outline of the claws did’nt fit with the rest. There were also something with the tail feathers… The font was changed for a sans serif, and the double ring was omitted to give the owl more space. This is a part of a larger redesign of IFS’s visual identity. The complete identity will be presented on our new Commando Group website, to be launched summer 2011.

Type On Tracks

bjorn — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:01:26 +0000

Illustrations used in a campaign for NSB (Norwegian State Railways). McCann wanted a style derived from an illustration I did for the Flexus travelcard, initially commissioned by Scandinavian Design Group. It is very fulfilling when clients seize the opportunity to apply a consistent visual direction in their marketing (sounds rather obvious, but it is not as common as you might think).

The original Flexus travelcard illustration.

Moods Research

bjorn — Tue, 25 May 2010 12:45:51 +0000

Preliminary sketches for an illustrated house style for fresh and daring market research company Moods Research. Using guerilla ethnography and triangulation we are confident that they will uncover new territory yet unseen by man.