Commissioned AlpenglowPrint Story - Preikestolen

AlpenglowPrints is a project that began as a more artistic expression of design for me, and was something that initially was very personal- I chose the subject matter and the style with little thought to potential future buyers, simply as an exercise and personal project in the early days of the pandemic. Now- a year and a half later- I have to constantly consider my prints from a more traditionally client/customer focused angle. One of the most interesting meetings of these two aspects is through commissioned pieces, that mix both a client’s appreciation for my style and existing work, with their own personal vision, subject matter and requirements.

One of my favourite commissioned print projects I’ve taken on for the AlpenglowPrints capsule was this interesting brief from Emma- a woman with Norwegian roots who now lives in Vancouver. Emma loved my ‘Lions’ print, and was looking for a scaled up version of that piece in addition to a matched print of one of her favourite locations in Norway- Preikestolen (known in English as ‘Pulpit Rock’). This location had significance to her due to previous hikes to that spot with family members- she wanted to pair that with one of her favourite locations locally here in Vancouver.

This brief was engaging as it was a location I was previously unfamiliar with (leading me down a rabbit hole of Norway trip planning!), and required consideration on how the new design could match with the existing ‘Lions’ print. Once the composition was settled, I offered the client three different ways in which the two prints could work together- a contrasting colourway, a complementary (but not identical colourway), and a fully matching colourway. Personally, I felt that a complimentary colouration of the Preikestolen shown snow-covered in a winter scene would be the best way to go, but Emma ended up preferring a matching version set in a snow-less summer (which was how she remembered it having visited in the summer season). This is an example of the core concept that all designers have to remember- your work is, at the end of the day, the representation of someone else’s vision! I know Emma was delighted with the outcome and the matching Preikestolen and Lions prints remains one of my favourite combinations.

I’ll be going through a number of the custom prints I’ve done through AlpenglowPrints over the past year or two on this Journal, in order to provide an explanation for potential clients to better understand the custom print process. To see more about AlpenglowPrints click here. To view my available prints for sale, please view my shop.