Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.09.2016, Blaðsíða 44

LET’S
TACO
‘BOUT IT
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Part 1 | Sigurður guðmundSSon
6 October - 15 October
Part 2 | Birgir AndréSSon
18 October - 29 October
Part 3 | ignAcio uriArte
1 November - 12 November
Part 4 | rAgnA róBertSdóttir
15 November - 25 November
4 Parts
divided
6 October - 25 November 2016
Design Types
EMERGING
Get It Twisted
A talk with graphic designers Loki and Elsa
Words PARKER YAMASAKI Photo ART BICNICK
Loki Björnsson and Elsa Jónsdóttir
were walking by Pósthússtræti 13
when they noticed the empty space
on the ground floor. It took a couple
of phone calls. The first went to a
lady that once lived in the build-
ing, the second to the building’s
landlord; and then they had Studio
Kleina. At least, they had some-
where to throw the opening party:
Studio Kleina is more than just a
room, a two-week exhibit, or some
typefaces. But type is one dish that
these two really know how to pour
themselves into, so that’s where
we’ll start.
What’s been
simmering
The exhibit opens on September
30 and features nine fonts devel-
oped over the past two years. “It’s
really just a way of getting it out
there,” Elsa says, pushing a load
of invisible letters off of her chest.
“Then we’ll just keep working on
them.” Because there’s no fun in
perfection; not at age 24.
For Loki and Elsa, it’s as much
about the process as anything
else. “It usually starts with a
drawing,” Loki says. “A hand
drawing,” Elsa continues, “The
computer programs kind of lead
you on, they don’t allow for acci-
dents like a beautiful curve” she
says, haphazardly swooshing her
wrist off to one side.
Rather than focus on what their
font will be, Loki and Elsa want
to figure out what it is—piece by
piece. More architects than arche-
ologists. With widened access to
more streamlined design pro-
grams, it’s easier for newer type
designers to strangle themselves
with technical aspects and clas-
sifications, they say. “We build
our fonts without these technical
distinctions in mind,” Loki says.
“We want them to have their own
private existences,” Elsa finishes.
Of course the easier something
is to obtain, the more prolific it be-
comes. “There are so many fonts
out there now, so it is more fun for
us to work with a concept—and
then try to express that through
a typeface,” Elsa says.
Easy to digest
A concept like “food,” for instance.
“We used ‘Kleina’ for the studio
name because it is about taking a
product and giving it a new twist,”
Elsa explains. “And also because it
fits the character of what we make,”
Loki says. “A kleina is just this little
donut pastry. It’s like showing that
we don’t take everything so seri-
ously.” Elsa continues: “Yeah, and
a lot of people don’t know just how
much work goes into producing a
font. They aren’t looking at the de-
tails that we are—or don’t know that
they are looking at them—so having
a fun thread like food gives them
something to bite onto.”
So maybe it took more than a
couple of clicks and a couple of
phone calls to bring Studio Kleina
to fruition. But the best craftsmen
are those that can put in the elbow
grease and still make it look like
a party. At the end of the day we
can all only hope to find a way to
convert work into play—and vice-
versa.
SHARE: gpv.is/le15
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Geirsgata 8 • 101 Reykjavík • Tel. 553 1500 • seabaron8@gmail.com
An absolute
must-try!
Saegreifinn restaurant (Sea Baron) is like none other
in Iceland; a world famous lobster soup and a diverse
fish selection.
44The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 15 — 2016