Hi! My name is Jacob, and I live and breathe design. Hell, I’m probably thinking about visual communication while you’re reading this.
I lie awake at night thinking about how businesses communicate with their customers, how artists communicate with their fans, and how I’m communicating with your right now.
I’ve dedicated my professional life to find the sweet spot between design and art, where I get to create things that speak directly to the recipient, while pertaining a substance.
Both my commissioned and my personal work reflect this, as in my view, any artwork is incomplete when it fails to communicate, as is any design that fails to engage.
Currently I am working as a freelance designer, having just finished my degree of design at the Bergen National academy of the arts.
Some might know me under different names, such as just Lysgaard or Totem, which are stage identities.
I’ve been working on graphic projects since I could pick up a pencil, painting and drawing for as long as i can remember. I soon began playing the vast field between graffiti on huge walls, and photoshop on my mom’s first computer.
As a result, I have always been trying to merge the mindsets of big, analog stuff, and the small and digital. My work as a designer and graphic artist reflects this, as I love mixing mediums and creating new connections between them.
On this site, I have my official portfolio, and blog about the things I do that are worthy of mention, but perhaps not entry into the Portfolio itself, along with my musical escapades. I also maintain an online store, where you can find limited edition prints, magazines and other things I’ve been part of.
I used to have an FM radio show on SRIB, called MoveOnUp, a show about soul music. And I work as a barista at Dromedar, the city’s finest provider of caffeine.
I have been a DJ since ’99. With a little help from my friends, I have started the club concepts REWIND!, Soultown and The Set Up, among others. Over the last couple of years I have moved gradually from the classical dj thing to incorporating more of my own productions into the mix, perhaps I like a song but it needs a bit more drum… That’s where I do my thing.
I fill my days with coffee, painting, playing jazz records and playing amazing synth solos on my computer. I’m always game for new fun projects, and can barely wait for all the awesome stuff that is coming along. If you have a project for me, just whistle! Or possibly use email, like hei at jacoblysgaard.com.