Olle Eksell

Olle Eksell
Name	Olle Eksell
Birth date	22 April 1918
Birth place	Stockholm, Sweden
Death date	11 April 2007
Death place	Åkersberga, Sweden
Occupation	Graphic designer, illustrator, author
Nationality	Swedish

Olle Eksell

Olle Eksell was a Swedish graphic designer, illustrator, and author renowned for his influential work in visual communication and commercial art. He produced iconic corporate identities, packaging, and posters that connected Swedish design institutions and international cultural platforms. Eksell's practice intersected with contemporary movements and figures across Scandinavia, Europe, and North America.

Early life and education

Born in Stockholm, Eksell studied at local art institutions and trained with practitioners linked to the Scandinavian design tradition. He attended schools and workshops where directors, curators, and educators from institutions such as the Royal Institute of Art, Konstfack, and studios associated with designers who collaborated with houses like IKEA and publishers like Albert Bonnier circulated. His formative years placed him in networks that included contemporaries connected to Svenska Slöjdföreningen, Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening, and exhibition circuits at venues like the Liljevalchs konsthall and the Nationalmuseum.

Career and notable works

Eksell established a practice that produced packaging and logos for consumer brands, posters for cultural organizations, and editorial illustrations for periodicals linked to publishers and broadcasters. He created the famous graphic identity for a major chocolate manufacturer and designed promotional material for companies and institutions operating in the Nordic marketplace alongside brands that engaged with agencies connected to Forsman & Bodenfors and consultancy networks that worked with firms such as H&M, Electrolux, and Volvo. His posters appeared in exhibitions at international festivals and galleries that also showcased work from designers associated with the Bauhaus, Ulmer Hochschule für Gestaltung, and the Cooper Hewitt collection. Publications featuring his work included magazines and journals distributed by houses like Bonniers, Tidningen Form, and institutions linked to the Swedish Institute.

Design style and influence

Eksell's style combined playful illustration with rigorous typography and geometric composition, showing affinities with proponents of modernism and functionalist aesthetics that connected to figures such as Herbert Bayer, Paul Rand, Josef Müller-Brockmann, and László Moholy-Nagy. His visual language resonated with movements and schools including the Bauhaus, the Scandinavian design movement, and graphic practices seen in exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Cooper Hewitt. Academics and curators from institutions like Konstfack, Stockholm University, and the Royal Institute of Art have traced his influence in courses and retrospectives alongside names such as Otl Aicher, Arne Jacobsen, Gerd Arntz, and Max Bill.

Commercial art and advertising

Eksell worked extensively in advertising, producing campaigns and packaging that aligned with agencies and clients engaged with retail groups, food manufacturers, and cultural sponsors active in the postwar period. His campaigns appeared in media owned by publishers such as Albert Bonniers Förlag, Svenska Dagbladet, and Dagens Nyheter, and were used by retailers and manufacturers who collaborated with marketing departments similar to those at IKEA, H&M, and Electrolux. His commercial work sat alongside international advertising exemplars produced by agencies linked to figures like Saul Bass, Milton Glaser, and Leo Burnett, and was exhibited in fairs and conferences attended by representatives from organizations such as the International Council of Design and the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

Awards and recognition

Eksell received recognition from national and international institutions for his contributions to graphic design and visual culture. His work featured in exhibitions and was honored by museums and associations including the Nationalmuseum, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design, the Stockholm City Museum, and professional networks related to the Alliance Graphique Internationale and the International Council of Design. Curators and critics from outlets such as Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, and cultural organizations like the Swedish Arts Council and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts documented his achievements and preserved examples of his output in collections and archives that also hold work by Bruno Munari, Piet Zwart, and Paul Rand.

Personal life and legacy

Eksell's personal life intersected with Sweden's cultural sphere; he collaborated and corresponded with peers across publishing, theater, and museum sectors connected to institutions like the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, and the Nordiska Museet. After his death, retrospectives and acquisitions by museums and libraries including the Nationalmuseum, the Röhsska Museum, and university collections at Lunds universitet and Uppsala universitet have cemented his legacy. His imagery remains referenced in contemporary curricula at Konstfack, HDK-Valand, and international design programs influenced by practitioners such as Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, and Massimo Vignelli.

Category:1918 births Category:2007 deaths Category:Swedish graphic designers Category:Swedish illustrators