Illustration: Magic creatures from the world of graphic designer Samuli Saarinen

Date
2 January 2014

We at It’s Nice That are big fans of moonlighters. Did you know that Ryan Gosling moonlights in a band called Dead Man’s Bones and Erykah Badu is also a midwife? Anyway, Samuli Saarinen is a moonlighter which basically means his website indicates he’s a graphic designer but it transpires he’s actually a very talented illustrator. Enter through the dark doorway to his Flickr account via his main site and be welcomed into a world of funny, sometimes manic, very impressive illustration. Mystic creatures, red-nosed businessmen, aliens and well-composed squiggles make for a really enjoyable bunch of work. Nay bad for someone still studying their degree!

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for a book on finnish design (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for a book on finnish design (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for a book on finnish design (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for Ylioppilaslehti (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for Ylioppilaslehti (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for FLOW magazine (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Illustration for Voima (2013)

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Samuli Saarinen: Tokyon Joulumyyjäiset

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Samuli Saarinen: Steiner ja Snellman kättelevät humanoidia

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Samuli Saarinen: Hässäkkä

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Samuli Saarinen: Kävelyllä viivan kanssa

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Samuli Saarinen: Möykkyukkeli

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Samuli Saarinen: Önniäinen 4

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Samuli Saarinen: Önniäinen 3

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About the Author

Liv Siddall

Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.

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