Swedish designer Peter Sunna applies his fresh design aesthetic to a diverse range of clients.
By Matthew Newton, Senior Editor
Swedish designer Peter Sunna, who now calls Brooklyn home, applies his fresh design aesthetic to a diverse range of clients — Microsoft, New Era, Burton, and Analog to name just a few. With a decade of experience in branding, design, art direction, packaging, and printed matter, Sunna has paid his dues in full, working in the trenches at studios like Wolff Olins in New York, JDK Design in both Burlington, VT, and New York, and Amp Associates and Form in London. Most recently, Sunna has struck out on his own as a free agent, widening both the scope and reach of his work. I recently had a chance to talk with Mr. Sunna about his work. Here’s how our conversation played out.
What first attracted you to design and why?
Design was never something I thought I could do or even knew existed when I was young. I’m from a mining town in the northern most part of Sweden where the idea of working in a creative field didn’t exist. Sure, I liked to draw a lot as a kid but my first steps towards design didn’t really start until high school.
My father has always been into computers and building PCs, which was unusual at that time but gave me a chance to start working with them at a young age. I remember having chemistry and physics projects that were suppose to be submitted as tidy reports and while my classmates were handwriting and compiling their reports in three-ring binders, and I was using early desktop publishing software and clip art to make them look fancy.
Making the presentation look tight became as important to me as getting the content right. My senior project in high school was around Einstein’s theory of special relativity. I was fascinated by the theory itself (I still am), but focused hard on how to present the material and opted for a magazine-style format, haha. My teacher actually told me that I might have my priorities mixed up but I just couldn’t help myself! Looking back at that now, I realize I was always attracted to magazines, their layouts, colors and photography, but just couldn’t articulate that at the time.
But, I think what really got me into design was music. I’ve always been into music and I remember studying the sleeves, from the lyrics to the layout, and thinking that I would love to create them. If nothing else, just to be a part of that world. It didn’t happen right away and after a less than stellar first job at a telecom company in Stockholm, I decided to apply for night classes at Forsbergs design college and ended up making a career of it.
You’ve worked at Wolff Olins in New York, JDK Design in both Burlington, VT, and New York, Amp Associates, and Form in London. What did these varied experiences teach you as a designer?
Everything I know has been formed by my work experiences. Design college taught me about art, design, and promoted “out there†ideas, but it wasn’t until after graduation that my real education started. You know, the world of actual clients. At my very first job I was working with the owner of a record label. We were discussing the placement of this artist’s logo on the sleeve and I said it would look nicer where it currently was. He said, « Make it bigger and move it to the top. I don’t care about nice. I’m selling records! » Haha! That was a great lesson for me: Design is not the right venue for self-expression.
As for the various job experiences, each one has brought new challenges, opportunities, and new friends. I’m lucky to have worked with some really great people that have taught me so much. Also, having worked both in Europe and the U.S. has diversified me but at the same time reminds me how small the design world really is.
The logos and identity work you do is very regal and crisp. What are the challenges and rewards involved with designing a logo that can stand the test of time?
Regal and crisp, I like that! Well, I would say the challenges differ depending on the project. For instance, a « dope » or « sick » looking wordmark required for a snowboard has different parameters than a logo that’s part of a larger visual identity and branding effort. Also, “standing the test of time†is often one of the standard criteria. Really, when haven’t you seen the word ‘timeless’ included in a brief? « Modern » is another good one. So one challenge is understanding what the client means by that. The other challenges are of course originality and distinction –- generally speaking but also for myself. My aesthetic values normally send me in the same direction and having worked on a large number of logo projects I run the risk of repetition or making parody of myself.
As for the reward, apart from a happy client, it’s great to see the logo come to life – be that in a stadium dugout, on the subway or at the mountain. Plus, clients typically take the logo and run with it. And, sometimes the surrounding collateral can get distorted but no one messes with the logo. It’s the one thing you can control and will hopefully, stand the test of time.
You work in everything from art direction and branding to creating logotypes and screenprinting your own posters. Can you talk a little bit about what it’s like for you to switch between these different roles?
I’ve always thought that in an ideal world, your next project should be totally different from the previous one. That doesn’t always happen but I do prefer having a wide variety of projects going on if possible, and I think it makes my life more interesting. Doing branding work for a giant organization is of course more complex than designing a screen-printed gig poster but those projects can be equally challenging, creatively speaking. There’s always that initial zing of panic and fear every time a new project starts! But once I pass from ‘what the hell should I do’ to ‘I’ll figure it out somehow’ I’m normally good to go.
What are some trends in design that you like right now? And what are some trends that bother you?
There’s so much good design happening right now and of course plenty more mediocre design being churned out as well. I’m struggling with taking it all in, let alone trying to organize it. Not that you necessarily should but everything is so easily available online. It’s hard finding time to focus and digest the content before moving on to the next thing.
I recently saw an exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt museum where designers had been commissioned to develop new uses for sustainable materials and demonstrate the power of conservation. I thought that was pretty inspiring overall and of course, think the move towards designers being more aware of their environmental footprint is a good one.
The rising trend of design becoming a commodity bothers me, I’m thinking specifically of crowdsourcing. There are plenty of arguments both for and against it, just Google it, but while I understand that many that many clients value cost over quality, I think it devalues the design profession as a whole.
As mentioned earlier, you’ve worked at your fair share of agencies over the past decade. How does the experience of working in a shop compare with that of working as an independent designer?
Compared to my agency experience, I’m still in my adolescence as a freelancer. So far, I can share that being on your own can be stressful at times when you’re trying to schedule multiple projects and also just making sure you get the work, period. But, I’ve been staying busy recently and I’m enjoying this life of meeting new people and learning new things throughout the process.
What projects are you currently working on — and what has you really excited right now?
Recently I’ve been doing projects with a few different studios here in New York. I’ve signed plenty of NDA’s so I’m not allowed to talk about specifics. But I’ve been working on some consumer electronic brands, beverage companies, and an apparel company. I’m really excited about freelancing right now, and the freedom and ownership that comes with it. And can say that I should’ve have jumped on it earlier!
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