Take part in your art:
A modular illustration system for personalised art
The idea
What if you could take part in creating your own art?
TPiYA started with a simple question: how could people have a more personal relationship with the art they put in their homes, without commissioning an entirely custom artwork?
Together with my brother, I explored the idea of creating a library of original visual elements that could be combined into individual artworks.
From alphabet to animal
The alphabet became the foundation of the system.
We started with the idea of creating personalised name posters. The alphabet gave us a simple, recognisable structure that could support a growing library of illustrations and allow the elements to be combined in different ways - like names.
Because the concept was particularly suited to children’s art, we chose Nordic animals as the visual foundation.
- A:Agerhøne / Grey Partridge
- B:Bæver / Beaver
- C:Citronsommerfugl / Brimstone Butterfly
- D:Dådyr / Fallow Deer
- E:Egern / Squirrel
- F:Frø / Frog
- G:Grævling / Badger
- H:Hare / Hare
- I:Isbjørn / Polar Bear
- J:Jærv / Wolverine
- K:Krage / Crow
- L:Los / Lynx
- M:Muldvarp / Mole
- N:Narhval / Narwhal
- O:Odder / Otter
- P:Pindsvin / Hedgehog
- Q:Quercus petraea / Vintereg / Sessile Oak
- R:Ræv / Fox
- S:Svane / Swan
- T:Torsk / Cod
- U:Ulv / Wolf
- V:Vildsvin / Wild Boar
- X:Korsedderkop / European Garden Spider
- Y:Yngel / Offspring
- Z:Hasselmus (Syvsover) / Hazel Dormouse
- Æ:Ænder / Ducks
- Ø:Ørn / Eagle
- Å:Ål / Eel
Alphabet animals, row 1
Alphabet animals, row 2
Alphabet animals, row 3
One visual language. Many different animals
Every animal was drawn by hand digitally and built directly in vector using geometric shapes and straight lines.
The challenge was to create animals that felt recognisable while belonging to the same visual universe.
One letter. More than one story.
Personalisation created a new problem. If a name contained the same letter twice, using the same illustration twice would quickly become repetitive.
So many letters were developed with multiple animal options, and some illustrations were available in different colour variations.
Alternate animals, row 4
Alternate animals, row 5
From components to personal art
01: Name
Fenja
02: Choose letters
03: Choose versions
04: Add extra components if needed
Beyond names
The system could become different kinds of products.
The personal touch
Personalisation wasn't only visual.
For some personalised posters, we also wrote short poems or texts based on the name and whatever we knew about the person receiving the artwork.
The business reality
TPiYA never became a sustainable business. We received positive feedback on the concept, but never managed to build enough visibility and sales around it.
Limited marketing resources, limited experience with social media distribution and eventually a lack of time meant that the webshop was eventually closed.
The system didn't completely disappear.
The webshop is gone, but the illustrations still exist. I occasionally create posters on request, and new animal variations have been added over time when a particular name or request called for it.
