Pomppa´s Kartta pattern is inspired by the Finnish forest and childhood orientation maps. Check out the story behind tahis pattern..
The new season introduced a brand-new pattern, KarttaPomppa, illustrated by Venla Vaattovaara. The design process initially began back in the summer of 2019, when Pomppa’s founder and designer Meri Alku started the background work with Sales and Marketing Manager Noora Eerikäinen. Together they formed the first visions of the upcoming pattern.
– We wanted the pattern to work as a combination of the two previous Pomppa patterns, Hippa and Kymppi, Meri explains. The goal was to combine Hippa’s detailed and sketchy art style with Kymppi’s abstract shapes and large colorful areas. Of course, the new pattern should also be completely unique and stand out from its predecessors.
Shortly after, Meri and Noora started looking for an illustrator. One potential candidate was 24-year-old Venla from Finland, also known as Muijavaara in social media. Noora had already been following her impressive Instagram page, so making the decision was quite easy. – Venla’s values and her diverse illustration style were exactly what we were looking for, Noora says.
When the collaboration began, Venla was spending her fall as an exchange student in the Netherlands, so the first meeting was held via Skype. Venla was given free rein to decide and design the theme and the color scheme for the new pattern. Eventually her inspiration was found during her time abroad, when all of a sudden, she started to feel a strong longing for the Finnish forests.
– There’s nothing as quiet and calming as the Finnish forests. Through the pattern, I wanted to return to the forest and its peace. The inspiration came from my childhood orienteering maps, which I showed to my exchange friends when I told them about Finnish school, Venla says.
– Sharing my experiences from Finland brought up things that were surprisingly important to me during my life, but completely unknown concepts to many. What’s great about Finland is how the forest belongs to everyone and it serves as a symbol of equality and freedom. We are all welcome there, regardless of our background, she sums up.
Faithful to her style, Venla’s first sketches were filled with vivid colors and round shapes. – I always try to keep a playful tone in my illustrations and avoid too straight and serious lines, Venla describes.
After receiving the sketches, Meri and Noora got excited. – We knew right away how we wanted to proceed with the design. With only a few rounds of comments, the pattern was already close to its final form, Noora recalls. In addition to fine-tuning colors and other minor details, the pattern required only one test print before its final completion.
– The project was completed in mid-December, so the journey from idea to final product took about six months. Our previous experience with similar productions made the process a lot easier, Meri says.
Meri and Noora were very pleased with the final product. – The idea had truly come to life from our original visions. The pattern is calm and composed, but still deliciously playful and completely different from our previous patterns, Meri describes. – We appreciate Venla’s work and we love how the pattern manages to express her values and story as well, Noora continues.
Venla enjoyed working on the project as well and is happy with the end result. – Designing the pattern was a great fun and it was a welcomed change to my usual work. The Finnish forests as well as dogs are close to my heart, so in terms of values, this project was a bullseye, Venla says. – I’m really satisfied with the Kartta pattern and I’m looking forward to going outdoors with my parents’ dog so I can finally show it around.
