This weekend I have played a little with my (alternative) DC logotype to see if I could make it more unique. I have done some small changes with its head and made a new solution with the body/ cross.

This weekend I have modified another nun illustrations from 2001/2002. The original illustration was never mentioned to be bigger then 800 pixels high so I have done some adjustments now in Photoshop, so it will work better in print. Work in progress…

“Designed Swedish Religion — The Red Nun”. 50 x 70 cm, 300 dpi.

   More pictures and information here.

I’m have started to prepare some stuff for an exhibition this spring in Stockholm. Two of the prints will be modified versions of my nun illustrations from 2001/2002. These illustrations where never planed to be used bigger then I had them on my original website from 2002, but they have been printed up to 140 x 140 cm which is insane when all details looks pretty bad. However, I thought it was an excellent way to both improve my painting techniques and fix these old illustrations for print.

This is still work in progress but it will end up pretty close to this I think. I have some stuff left to do in her face and neck and I’m still playing with the design. And yeah, the logo is not set yet as well.

Size 50 x 70 cm, 300 dpi.

The original illustration was never mentioned to be bigger then 800 pixels high.

Thank you guys who posted feedback of the logotype redesign. Some of you have notified me that the minimalistic eagle was similar to the logotype for Design Made In Germany, which is true. You can say it is from the same logotype family so to speak. Not as much that it felt I really had to change it but I wanted to see if I could modified it a little to make it more unique. I mean, the logotype become even more similar when my original logotype from 2002 is based on the Germany eagle.

However, I ended up with a version where I have used a solid circle underneath and a slighter bigger cross symbol. The eagle symbol become more minimalistic then before which is good when it is the cross that is the core of the logotype.

Spontaneous I think the eagle loses to much of its symbolic language. And maybe it becomes too minimalistic? If I have time I will do some more versions later this week.

My original logotype, the heraldic eagle, have felt out of date and maybe little impersonal, so the last five-six years I have more and more just used the cropped cross in different ways. I have now finished an idea where I mix the eagle, the circle and the cross in a much minimalistic way, which I think represents me better. So the plan is to use this logotype from now on.

Well, it took a while, but now on Designchapel is also on Facebook. So if you want to follow the updates via Facebook, check this out.

Air France did I finish last week on my flight from Paris to Miami. I have again used the Brush application which have been updated with layer function since last time I used it. You can also import photos from your photo library. That´s how I did the copy; I took a photo on a page at the airplane, imported it to Brushes and painted Air Fran(ce) on the top layer. The color & contrast correction is made with the Mill Color application.

Another drawing I made on my iPhone with the Brush application. I made it when I spent some nice days at the Stockholm archipelago this summer.

Project: Designchapel, second edition. My work: Fashion design. Client: Designchapel.
Information: I made three dresses and one coat for new Designchapel edition. These dresses where drawn and made back in 2006 but I have never showed them in my portfolio. Photography by Håkan Moberg, Stockholm.

These dresses are not made for sale right now but you will hopefully find them somewhere in the future.

The idea was to get a 60’s look but in more modern and clean look. Check out sketches & work in progress of the dresses in the Behind the scene section or the final result.

More pictures in the Cargo Portfolio.

To build my portfolio part I have used Cargo Collective, which is a web publishing (CMS) and community-building platform (currently in development). Here is the content that counts, not the design, which sometimes can be very good for us designers who usually struggling to make as cool portfolio as possible.

Finally, DCHPL-2 is live! These three picture is my first of a series I will continue work on during 2009 and probably 2010. They are found at my Cover Art selection if you have not seen them.

I have had these illustrations almost ready for over a year now but I have never had time to finish my website so therefore I have kept them in my drawer. I’m sure you know how it is… there are thousands other things to do then finish your portfolio. However, I came up with a pretty easy solution in the end but still very open creative with the cover solution. The base of this WordPress blog and my portfolio on Cargo. Thank you Andreas Philström and PM for helping me out with the WordPress programming. I really like this solution where it will be more focus on creating stuff for my portfolio instead of recreate my website.

I have actually been working on the content for the site during several years. The main idea for the site was to try out new techniques and medias that I never have been working with earlier. For example fashion drawing, learning Painter and concept drawing, creating a font, learn more about After Effect and so on.

My goal was also to make everything myself but as I said, the time issue is pretty big in this branch, so instead of making the photoshoot myself I worked close with a photographer, Håkan Moberg, and Mathias Lindgren (North Kingdom) helped me out with making the robots from my concept drawings.

You can download the pictures as wallpapers here.

Close up — Father Robot

Close up — Black Black Sunday

On my way back home from New York I tried this new iPhone app. called “Brushes”. It’s a program where you can paint with your fingers on your mobile! Very easy to use actually. I drawn these two robots here below on the plane (shown in three steps each);

The process for making DCHPL-2 have been long, very long. The goal has not been the final result but just the process. To take time and learn new stuff! To sit down and think; what do I want to try? Here is some sketches and ideas I have had during these years I have been working with this. Sometimes it have been three four months between each time I have open the Designchapel folder, sometimes even more. And yes, it can be very frustrating to not launch the ship, to ask yourself “Will I never ever finish this?”, but somehow, you have to tell yourself also “Well, it is just a bloody webpage. Focus on what you think is fun, nothing else!”. It can be hard many times to not be stressed, but during my years in this branch you have to think on your social life as well, otherwise you will never stay long in the business.

   More pictures and information here.

Project: Typography design. My work: Graphic Designer. Client: Designchapel.
Information: The first Designchapel font. Made in illustrator. Photography by Håkan Moberg, Stockholm.

Download Typeface (AI)

Font Distribution — Please note this is a exclusive download. You are not permitted to redistribute this font as a direct download from any other site. If you wish to list Black Nun Bold in your blog as part of a font post/listing then you can do so, but please direct your readers to this post for the font download.

Font Licencing — All rights are reserved by Robert Lindström. You may use Black Nun Bold freely for noncommercial and personal purposes, such as creating a logo for a personal web site, free web design materials, goods or banners. When used, please credit Designchapel or Robert.

This illustration did I actually start to do the autumn of 2006. Back then it was made to be a part of my upcoming portfolio. However, I felt after a while that I wanted to learn new stuff instead repeating myself. Therefore, I have put it on hold until now. This autumn I where invited for a new illustration book called Monarchy Series (will be released 2009). My idea was to take my old unfinished illustration and add new technique and elements to it, because I realized I had to little time to start over from scratch. In the end the illustration wasn’t that different then the old one when I wanted to keep it clean and simple.

The model is my ex-girlfriend (who also is the model for all old Designchapel illustrations) and to make them more unique we borrowed some wigs from a hairdresser shop in Skellefteå called “Torsten”.

The main idea behind “Royal Nun” is the ever ending struggling between having a pretty big company (North Kingdom) on one side and my creative freedom on the other side (Designchapel).

   More pictures and information here.

I was invited by Marcelo Baldin to be one of 28 artists to make artwork for the metal-industrial band The Omega Code.

I have moved down to Stockholm and the very calm area of Hammarby Sjöstad which also will be my Designchapel Studio. It is a very calm and quit area, almost like Skellefteå in north, so I think I will stay here for a while. So from now on I will be working at our North Kingdom Stockholm office in Gamla Stan. Why I moved? Well, my relationship unfortunately ended last year so it’s a chance to try someting new. I guess I will miss the north thou…

I have launched a new version of Blaugallery with a minor concept change. I have now focused on very few artist and motives but made them very exclusive with signed Limited Edition of 10.

You can check out the site here: Blaugallery.com

   More pictures and information here.

Andreas Philström(AD, North Kingdom) and I have just launched a design inspiration blog called Reform & Revolution with authors like Rob Ford (FWA), Chris Hewitt (dstrukt), Peter Jaworowski (The Hejz) among others. Here we will post and discuss stuff that inspire us!

Here is some of the pages from the my interview in the last issue of Bak09 by Ozan Karakoç. Thanks a lot of the opportunity! Bak is a great inspiration magazine so check it out!

   More pictures and information here.

This is just picture from my living room from this morning. I have printed the illustration I did for D-Mode from my Blaugallery.com project. Size 160 x 103 cm. The chair is a redesigned present from my girlfriend.

D-Mode magazine from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Some other prints I have done lately. Photo from my office.

A first concept drawing of Father Robot. A character which will be built in 3D and added to the pictures with the new Designchapel nun.

Project: Illustration. My work: Illustration. Client: Two Faces.
Information: Two Faced was a book project I was invited to last year. At WIWP site you can read that the book “approached a large variety of creative people ranging from Toy Designers to Art Directors, Photographers to illustrators, Musicians to Designers. The Artists were paired off and given the task of creating a portrait of the person they had been teamed with, using their own style for which they have become renowned.” I was teamed together with the talented design group Vasava from Barcelona.

This illustration is based of a photo I have got from Vasava (Barcelona, Spain). First I draw all nodes in Photoshop (I like the speed better there) by hand and then colored in Illustrator and finally back in Photoshop for final coloring.

   More pictures and information here.

Project: Illustration for Fashion Magazine. My work: Illustrator. Client: D-Mode Magazine, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Information: A project where chosen illustrators and photographers work where combined. Photographer: Pablo Franco. Production: Christian Bernay. Model: Josefina Valente.

Project: Photography. My work: Photographer. Client: Ki, Skellefteå.
Information: Photos for a hair competition. Concept & Styling by Charlotta Havh. Hair by Therese, Ki. Fashion by Designchapel.

Project: Corporate Identity. My work: Art Director & Designer. Client: Arctic Gourmét, Station Åtta and Matfestivalen, Skellefteå.
Information: Some logotypes made during 2005.

Project: Corporate Identity. My work: Art Director & Graphic Designer. Client: Station Åtta, Skellefteå.
Information: A new modern night club in Skellefteå needed a new identity. Illustration by Charlotta Havh.

Project: Painting. My work: Illustrator/ Painter. Client: Designchapel.
Information: Acrylic on canvas, 120×80 cm.

Project: Photography. My work: Photograph. Client: Designchapel.
Information: Hair by Annika at Ki. Model and styling; Charlotta Lundqvist/ Havh.