Hi Ludvig,
What an impressive portfolio and work history!
Thank you!

Please tell us where graphic design started for you and how you got where you are now.
My point of departure is a little place called Grua, approx. one hour north of Oslo, Norway’s capital. When coming from a place like this, is the escape from boredom strongly in focus, and the dream to move on always present. This was naturally a motivation to find a hobby. My sister gave me a spray can of paint for my 15th. birthday, which led to a hobby; graffiti. After lots of terrible tries to make something beautiful, I figured I needed some education.

Can you show us your workspace?
This is my workspace at home and at Bleed.


At Bleed I was so happy I got a window seat.

How was it working for Sagmeister Inc?
It was great! The summer of 2011 I did an internship at Sagmeister Inc. in New York. It was a great experience, and I felt inspired when I left. Since the studio is small, I was able to work on lots of fun projects instead of making cryptic sandwiches and serving coffee. Stefan, Jessica, Michael, Ryan and Phillipp were all very nice.

Do you think print is dying? yes or no? and why?
Yes, digital stuff is a cheaper alternative. I still buy real magazines.

How did the Lavafilm project came about and what was the brief?
The Lavafilm identity was made in collaboration with the brilliant Henrik Wold Kraglund, my partner in crime. The brief was very open and as long as we where able to come up with an identity, we where told to do whatever we wanted.

When we developed the project we experimented with an alternative solution, where the sum of all visual elements were the cornerstone of the identity. This is in opposition to the standard, where the logo is the most important element. Our solution is identity-building at all levels, and each element of the identity creates an equivalent recognition-effect.

The concept for Lavafilms identity is inspired by natural disasters, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. During an earthquake, solid objects will divide and move to random positions. This has been the basis for the development of our solution. The concept developed for Lavafilm is based on their company name and their company values.

One of the items of the identity is a typeface developed specifically for Lavafilm. We have explored what happens when combining a Serif font with a grotesque. We wanted to test how far it was possible to explore different styles without compromising similarities within the font-family. “Lava Sans Avec” results from the merging of two of the most used fonts: Futura and Times New Roman.

What was Lavafilm’s identity like before you and Henrik worked on the identity?
It was a start-up, so it did not exist.

How long did the project last?
Developing the Lavafilm identity took us half a year.

It’s really nice to see identity work that is brave enough to not focus all energy on the logo. It really works and I believe this is the effect true identity work should portrait. Please walk us through the development of Lavafilm.
During the process we decided that we wanted the identity to function without any logo. Instead we developed a symbol that would function as an element on equal to the other elements. We called this symbol “The Lava Factory”.

“The Lava Factory” is a dynamic symbol that at all times will inform about the company. Its based on small graphical changes. Since there are two people working at Lavafilm, there are two air shafts. If they decide to hire another person, the factory will grow larger by adding another air shaft. We also developed a set of different versions of “The Lava Factory” with different amounts of smoke coming out from the chimney. These versions can then be used as they are appropriate, based on how hard Lavafilm feel they are working.

Do you have a side project you are working on? What is it?
Yes, I’m currently doing an art project together with my friend, the Norwegian musician and painter, Eirik Melstrøm. I will at this time not give away much, but the project is about class distinction and the human body. Almost like an elephant giving birth for the first time.

What is the difference between branding and identity?
http://www.wikipedia.org/
(Really!? Not even a direct link) ;P

Do you ever get stuck? What do you do to overcome that creative block?
I always get stuck, and that always has a massive effect on my life. I hate it, and to get rid of it I have to work a lot in the beginning to figure out an idea. When I do, I’m happy again. I don’t have any good technique to deal with this, but it usually works out after a while. The trick might just be to test out lots of different stuff. “You shall try everything, and choose the best” – Henrik Ibsen. (I’m currently working with the Ibsen Awards…)

If you had to bring a dead celebrity back to life, who would it be?
The past is the past. Let them be…
(Ludvig, sorry I forgot to mention that when we are asking those questions, it is with a gun pointed to your skull, almost exactly as the scene in Pulp Fiction)
You cannot let them be, someone needs to come back! ;D

Mention a music track/s you are hooked on?
This is the only band you should have in your playlist, anno 2011. — The Good The Bad and The Zugly

What type of work are you interested to be working on next?
I would love to work more for the cultural life, such as a music festivals or art exhibitions.

Continue this Sentence with whatever you want:
“Monday morning Jeremy the rabbit woke up on an old couch in the middle of a warehouse…
He looked down on his feet and noticed that the nail on his left big toe had gotten a scratch. Confused and hangover he drag his half dead body out off the couch and set sails for the kitchen. After this exhausting trip with head banging flashbacks from his brilliant childhood he finally arrived. He opened a bottle of milk. He drank milk. The sense of something frightening was approaching. It’s zombies everywhere! Run bitch! Run!

Thank you for letting us into your world. Who would you like to see us interview next?
Hmm. Jon Arne Berg has probably something funny to say.

One of my favorite piece from Ludvig is the train typography:

More from Ludvig:
Web: Bureau Bruneau
Twitter: @Bureau_Bruneau