We have a quick-fire chat with graphic designer Lars Högström about self-branding, True Blood, not overthinking and where design is heading in the next 5 years.
Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?
I did my Bachelor’s degree in visual communication design at Aalto University. During that time I managed to squeeze in two internships, many self-initiated projects and loads of nearly non-paying freelance jobs.
How did you name your practice and what does the name represent to you?
I never took the time to think about self-branding. I simply work under my real name (Lars Högström), but in a way, I think it is almost like working with an alias. The designer Lars is very different from everyday Lars. Maybe I should operate under the name Studio Extremely Sexy Design or something like that.
2019 for you in a sentence.
So far I have wasted it on answering emails and watching 5 seasons of True Blood.
What advice would you give students graduating in 2019?
I’m hooked on this hilarious show called The Cave, where rap producer Kenny Beats invites artists to his studio to freestyle and smoke weed. At the beginning of the show, there’s a neon sign with the words “Don’t overthink shit”. I genuinely think that is great advice.
Don’t overthink shit.
What's on the cards professionally and personally in the next 12 months?
Hopefully, it’s going to be fewer emails and more tofu nigiri.
Where do you think design is heading in the next five years and how will you adapt?
It’s difficult to imagine that something would dramatically change, but who knows. Hopefully, the Macbook hegemony will die and Creative Cloud would be free for all users, like in a utopian version of Black Mirror.
Where to find Lars Högström online.
Instagram: @lars_hogstrom
