Sanni Wessman on making life more colorful through illustrations

Our current Designer-in-Residence, Sanni Wessman, aspires to bring more happiness to the world with her colorful artwork. Part of her mission is already completed because during her time in New York, she has made a long-lasting, vibrant mark on the city in the form of a 12 feet tall and 20 feet wide mural.

Helsinki-based illustrator and graphic designer Sanni Wessman has been in residency with the FCINY and Wanted Design since May. She has previously worked with clients such as Aalto Magazine, Helsinki Design Week, the Finnish Red Cross, and the City of Helsinki. Sanni has been recognized nationally and internationally, as she’s been awarded by ADC*E for Best Young Creative/Gold, and she’s been put on the Rising Stars list by Grafia Vuoden Huiput, to mention a few. Currently working on her master’s thesis, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Aalto University and studied part of her degree at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

We sat down with Sanni to talk about her time in New York so far and how her signature style of illustrations has formed into the bright, colorful one it is today.

COLORS AND DIVERSITY AS SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

“I think my style has sort of shaped itself through the years. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always enjoyed drawing people, and it’s something I still really enjoy to this day. Even when I try not to, the paper usually somehow ends up with a face on it. I’ve also always been inspired by strong colors, and I think it even shows up in how I dress. Although I have definitely had those all-black phases as well. Maybe it’s a Finnish thing, or maybe it’s a design industry thing”, Sanni says, smiling.

“Colors are usually the starting point for my work,” she continues. “I usually have a specific color in my mind that I want to use, and I often go through phases of liking different colors. Right now for example, I am definitely in an orange phase.”

Sanni also mentions her graphic design studies having an impact on her illustration style in keeping her art quite simple and flat in a minimalistic way, with no shading or gradients. On the question if Sanni’s colorful art embodies her personality, she answers with a laugh:

“Maybe. I hope so? It’s hard for me to see whether that’s true, but I guess there is always a part of you in your work. I like to keep things playful and fun. I like to think that my art is making somebody happy and that I can bring joy and color into people’s lives with my work.”

And although perhaps not clear to her, it’s evident to us that Sanni’s vibrant personality shines through in her art and when she is talking about it. The colorful, all-orange outfit that she is dressed in is a perfect example.

She adds:

“I have to say, though, when I was younger, I saw a mismatch between me and my work. I illustrate people a lot, and as a plus-sized person myself, I noticed that I only illustrated thin people. I had to take a step back and figure out what was going on because I greatly value diversity in my work. As someone who illustrates people, it’s my responsibility to illustrate how diverse people are. I realized that I was actually excluding myself from the images by not illustrating more diverse characters and that was a big learning point for me. It’s also much more fun to illustrate diverse people because no one looks alike.”

Another thing that is inspiring Sanni is nature and the sea. At Sanni’s suggestion, we are doing the interview on a bench in the beautiful High Line Park, surrounded by a small oasis of greenery that the park provides in the middle of the hectic city. Although Sanni loves the energy of New York, she feels at peace and at home when surrounded by nature and the sea. Maybe it’s an urge that comes naturally in a city as chaotic as New York, or maybe that too, is just a Finnish thing.

LEAVING A COLORFUL MARK ON THE CITY

With the help of Wanted Design and Industry City, Sanni had the opportunity of painting a mural earlier this June. We at the FCINY happily participated in the painting process, and it is now finished and on display for all of New York to see in Industry City in Brooklyn. The mural will stay up for at least one year in building 3, on view to all the people moving through the Industry City campus daily.

“I think the mural is a perfect example of how things just happen here in New York if you just dare to say it out loud and seize the opportunities given to you. It started as a Zoom meeting with Wanted Design. I hadn’t planned much, but I told them I would love to do a mural. On my second day here, I met up with Odile from Wanted Design, and suddenly, the ball was rolling. Everyone was immediately on board, and everything moved quite fast after that. I think we are often too afraid to say our dreams out loud, but if you don’t, they will probably never come true.”

Regarding the inspiration for the mural, it was important for Sanni to know where the mural would be located before she started working on the idea of it because she wanted it to be connected to the space it would occupy.

“The inspiration for the mural is the people and vibrant culture of Industry City; I wanted to include hints of all the buildings and the everyday life that goes on here. There are people eating pizza slices from the food hall, people with ceramic art they just bought, and you can also see two New York squirrels having a drink. It’s my take on Industry City and my experience here, and how other people may experience Industry City when they walk along the halls here.”

A DELAYED COMEBACK

Sanni is no stranger to New York, as it’s not her first time here. In 2019, she did her exchange semester at the School of Visual Arts as part of her Bachelor’s Degree, and she has wanted to return ever since. Unfortunately, Covid hit shortly after and delayed those plans, but now she is finally back. About her studies at The School of Visual Arts (SVA), Sanni tells us:

“My studies at SVA were a great compliment to my studies in Aalto because most of my courses were very fast-paced and focused on the production aspect of design. In Aalto, the emphasis was more on critical thinking and refining the idea behind each design, so I gained two important but different perspectives on visual communication design. It was also a good opportunity to stop and think about what I wanted because when I returned from SVA, I realized I wanted to focus on illustration. I was kind of already heading down that path before attending SVA, but my time there was still a bit of a revelation as to what I wanted to do career-wise.”

She also adds:

“When I was here the last time, I was very focused on my studies, and I think the exchange student experience is always a unique one. This time, I’ve had more time to explore professional connections and talk to people about creative practices. It means a lot to me to come back to this city that I already know and love and to explore a different side of it. And New York is such an inspiring place; you don’t need to seek the inspiration; it just comes to you when you are strolling on the street. What I love about this city is that everyone is always ready to meet up and connect. I’ve been reaching out to a lot of people and have had some good meetings. New York Design Week was also amazing because I got to meet many like-minded people.”

FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE WORKS

With her remaining time here, Sanni has been gathering inspiration in preparation for her first-ever solo exhibition. One of her main goals when applying to the residency program was to come to New York to collect inspiration and new ideas to bring back to Finland for a solo exhibition plan.

“I’m definitely heading home with my brains bursting with new inspiration and ideas from my time in the city, and based on all that, I could probably plan a million different projects. One of my main inspiration sources has for sure been the people of New York, and that’s where the initial exhibition idea came from. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s still all in the works, but I’m super excited to continue the process and see where it takes me!” Sanni says.

“All in all, the whole residency time has been just perfect. I didn’t want to have too many expectations beforehand, but the ones I had were absolutely exceeded while being here. I’ve been able to experience so much during these two months, and the only minus I can come up with is that time has gone by way too fast. Can I just do another residency right after this one?” Sanni adds with a laugh, concluding her residency experience.

If you want to see more of Sanni and her work and upcoming projects, you can follow her on her instagram, her website and FCINY’s socials.

By: Nela Silfverberg