I was invited to participate in a project designed to serve as a bridge of gratitude from the Ukrainian organization go_strongly to the Norwegian community. This initiative recognizes the Norwegian community's ongoing support for numerous humanitarian missions in response to Russia's war against Ukraine.
Some members of the team run a business crafting various leather goods, and they decided to create functional tote bags adorned with a meaningful image.
Task: to create an illustration on the topic of gratitude for the support of the people of Norway towards the people of Ukraine. I approached this theme with great care to avoid any misunderstandings regarding the symbols of each country. Therefore, I developed a concept that includes universal symbols such as hugs, helping hands, and hearts.
As for the details, I chose nature as the central theme. In Norway, nature is a significant part of the cultural identity, and we also cherish the nature of our Ukrainian Carpathians, Crimea. So I used their national flower heather and our sunflower, as well as the fjords and our mountains, which have more round shapes, coniferous and deciduous trees. The design also thoughtfully included elements of the national flags of both countries.
This is the selected illustration and the first prototype featuring it.
And this is the final version of the illustration, on the background of the color of the fabric.
