Designer Desire: Erik Bruun

Mosaic of Erik Bruun designs | H is for Home

Erik Bruun is a Finnish graphic designer probably best known outside of Finland for his Hartwall Jaffa orange drink ads and Finnair travel posters.

However, it is other designs altogether for which he is most famous in his home country. In 1986, he produced the designs for the current Finnish Markka banknotes. He also designed a 2011 Sampo Bank payment card in collaboration with the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation.

He went to the Central School of Industrial Design in Helsinki where some of his tutors included Kaj Franck and Tapio Wirkkala.

In an interview with Mr Wolf Magazine, he said he was given advice by the latter:

One should be passionate and inspired when starting a job. If you are not, then don’t start. Without passion, nothing exceptional is born.

You can purchase reprints of many of his vintage designs on his website.

Portrait of Erik Bruun

Here he is in a short film, putting the finishing touches on one of his Jaffa artworks…

Image credits:

Flickr | Pinterest

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