Reflecting on 2025
Spent the last few days of 2025 making these two motion graphics. Made to honor the end of the Wood Snake year and welcoming the Fire Horse in February. Manifesting more opportunities in 2026 to make animation, like title sequences, video games, or short films. 2025 had some stressful moments but also some of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on so far.
Was part of the Grapíka Islandica committee and we organized a group show at DesignMarch. The name Grapíka is a pun btw, a mash of the phrase: Grab pussy. It was established at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2014, on Women’s Strike Day. The show was called Söltuð píka/Salted Pussy, showing how “salty” we still are about the conditions we have to exist in as femme presenting graphic designers in Iceland today. The posters were then displayed again during Women’s Strike Day on bus stops around Reykjavík.
Was also hired by Giggó to draw caricatures of attendees at UT Messan. Right next to the AI printers.
The biggest honor was being contacted by Píeta. A non-profit suicide prevention organization. They needed a deck of cards and a nice presentation to display in schools. It was an amazing opportunity for a one person design agency like myself and they were very positive and supportive. I hope to work more with them in the future.
I volunteered at the Stockfisk Film Festival. And showed off the animation storyboards I made back in 2021, still haven’t applied for a grant to finish the short film. It’s one of those things I want to do, but lack of experience in actually landing the grants I apply for is making me postpone it constantly.
I’ve been hanging out with Game Makers Iceland for a few years now and made a banner for their Facebook page a few months ago. Then I joined in as the brand designer for the first industry game summit in Iceland: Reykjavík Game Summit. It was a very quick turnaround, joined October 18th, things went to the printer November 1st. Made the logo and color palette in three days (don’t recommend!). It made me realize that I need to set up proper templates for branding packages. I’m not just someone who makes things pretty anymore, there’s a system!
My friend Helene and I joined in on two GMI Game Jams last year. Won third place with our teammate Atla in one of them.
2025 was also the year I finally put in proper effort into my freelance career. As much as I would like to be snatched up by a cool agency as a senior designer or art director, I do love working independently on projects that matter to me.
Especially love working with non-profits and festivals. Something I would love to get to do is create more for events or performances. Like the backdrops in a play. Maybe I should organize a gallery show in 2026 to showcase that side of me, so far my environmental designs have been mostly contained to my beautiful apartment. But I am very crafty and should probably showcase that talent more.
Overall, doing pretty well for someone rejected from Iceland’s University of Arts’s Graphic Design course. Who never worked at an agency or had a mentor. And barely any friends. And buttloads of C-PTSD that make her bad at going along with bullshit and an expert at spotting it. Go me!
In 2026 I’m still looking for a good place to grow further as a professional multitalented and creative designer. And keep on making friends with people who are just genuinely kind, authentic and on my wavelength. Making friends to just further my own career or boost my ego has never been my style.
