Hanna Ruusulampi – bold graphic patterns for junior collections

The agents of Patternsfrom Agency select carefully the represented designers to meet different styles and skills in surface design. With a team of nine individual designers we are able to serve customers with various needs. The end result is always a coherent and true addition of Nordic style in their collections.

Hanna Ruusulampi has been in the team since 2015, and her bold graphic patterns have ended up to e.g. wallpapers and bed linen in Europe and Asia. With her illustrator background, Hanna is also a talent drawing cute creatures for junior collections. The Owl and lynx -pattern in the blog post is a part of Patternsfrom Agency’s own Permafrost-trend in the concept for classical patterns.

Who are you and where do you come from?

I’m Hanna Ruusulampi, from Rekola, Vantaa.

Describe yourself as a designer. How do you get inspired? What is your favourite thing to design and why?

I’ve been working as a freelance designer, illustrator and graphic designer since 2008. Internet has been and is my main source of inspiration. I collect ideas to patterns all the time, and combine the ideas together to a final pattern. One pattern may include hudreds of microideas from here and there. These ideas may not even have anything in common. The final pattern is often very different compared with the one I initially had in my mind. Saying this, working with a flow is my kind of thing.

I design several patterns, both abstract and with motives into one theme, so that the patterns are easy to combine with each other to bigger collections. Especially the abstract patterns are often timeless, and by changing the colorways, it is possible to create new ambiances over and over again. This extends the life cycle of a pattern considerably.

Very often I doubt the norms, even in pattern designing. For commissioned patterns, I try to find a new angle for the given theme. I’m not afraid to fail, partly because of my philosophy: the best things appear through accidents and coincidences.

Are your designs out somewhere for the big audience already?

I have created patterns for interiors, fashion and accessories throughout the world. Also, I make illustrations and animations to digital learning materials used widely in Finnish schools.

One of my favourite projects has been with Pakistani craftsmen. I created embroided patterns for purses. The initial point for this project was to study islam and its symbols for being able to design suitable patterns the craftsmen would feel confortable working with.

Other references are available at www.ruusulampi.fi.

What are your wishes for being one of the designers at Patternsfrom Agency?

I’m happy to be able to work and create patterns with my own methods, and have them shown both nationally and internationally with Patternsfrom Agency.

I wish that my designs end up first to the production and later on to be part of end users’ living environment. I’m fascinated by the fact that the patterns are created as a combination of small details in my own environment, and that they end up being small details in someone’s environment. I’m looking forward to meet some of the end users later on!

How does the future look like in ten years or so?

I prefer working with small, independent manufacturers who appreciate my skills and style They are not necessarily following the trends, but creating them. I take ethical and environmental issues seriously, and I want to contribute to projects with like-minded people.

Full designer profile of Hanna Ruusulampi is available here.