Draft:Karlssonwilker

Karlssonwilker is a New-York based graphic design and branding studio that was founded in 2000 by partners Hjalti Karlsson and Jan Wilker. They were joined by partner Vera Yuan in 2020. Their portfolio consists of a diverse collection of projects, clients, and media. Signature projects include creating an automated Real-Time Recording Machine that was driven around Manhattan on a glass-walled truck, capturing snapshots of sounds, colors, and people’s comments for the design of a book for the arts organization Creative Time and the rebranding of Reykjavik Art Museum. These projects are featured in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and Taschen’s The History of Graphic Design Vol. 2, respectively.

Karlssonwilker is also known for non-commissioned passion projects such as a seasonal ice cream business and a neighborhood-inspired clothing line.

Karlsson and Wilker met while working at the studio of Stefan Sagmeister. After Sagmeister temporarily shut down the studio in 2000 to embark upon a sabbatical, Karlsson and Wilker launched their own design firm. The early days of the studio are chronicled in the book Tellmewhy— the first 24 months of a New York design studio (Princeton Architectural Press, 2003) The book is included in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.