Viktor Hammarberg on parody and his provocative work with SZA, Rosalia and Peggy Gou

Hammarberg adds that, because he grew up in different places, including Sweden, China and Singapore, each part of his childhood is tinged with different aspects of that ‘nostalgic’ feeling that he enjoys.

“I also use a lot of parody in my work, taking existing concepts and flipping them on their head,” the designer adds. “That can also be nostalgic, because you’re taking something that people are familiar with, like a memory, and you’re turning it into something new. That automatically creates an emotional connection. So yeah, I would say, nostalgia, parody and provocativeness, because I love thinking about the meaning of life and religion and drugs and sex and all that stuff. I find it very interesting.”

Throughout Hammarberg’s work, you’ll also regularly see a Nike logo or the McDonald’s arches, even the Hollywood sign. He describes this as “literal” and “not subtle,” which he believes might put some brands off collaborating with him.

Musicians have been drawn to his aesthetic. In fact, three months after taking a plunge and going freelance, Spanish singer Rosalia got in touch with the young creative. Hammarberg admits that he hadn’t heard of her before that point, but after checking out her socials and realizing what a huge star she was, he was “in awe”.

Her team came to Hammarberg with a creative brief but leaned on him heavily for influence and his curated style, which resulted in him creating the visuals and album artwork for Rosalia’s Motomami album.

The designer explains that the first step he typically takes is listening to the music. From there, Hammarberg will open a sketchbook or a blank Photoshop document to begin experimenting visually. The amount of visual reference material from the musicians varies greatly: sometimes he’s given around a hundred images to browse through; other times, the client narrows it down to just a few key options, or there may be no images provided at all.

In 2022, Hammarberg won a Grammy in the Best Recording Package category for his work on Rosalia’s album. “We had a group chat from the Motomami project and hearing that I was nominated, that was already such a huge victory for me,” he says, adding that when the results came through, he woke up to so many messages and couldn’t believe it. “It’s a funny thing because, when it happens, it feels so surreal. And all the insecurities and anxieties you’ve been carrying, you can discard those, because you have this to fall back on, but then a few weeks go by and it just becomes normal, so it’s weird. But I do pinch myself and remind myself I’m so proud and so grateful and so thankful.”

Putting so much of his heart and soul into designs does come at a cost for Hammarberg. He shares that when he first started his Instagram account, he would post new work most days. Now, he will post stories every so often, but even that can be quite few and far between. He’s grateful to his community on there, but can’t help feeling pressure from it.

“For me, personally, no matter how I twist it, I will always put a value to my work based on the response that I get on social media,” he shares. “There was a point that if I got less than 1,000 likes, I would be like, ‘OK, why do people hate what I do?’ Those kind of unhealthy mind traps. I love social media, but it is so, so much like a drug.”

Like many people, Hammarberg also deals with imposter syndrome, even with all of his successes. “I got 10,000 followers and thought I’ll never have to feel insecure again. I got a Grammy and thought I never had to feel insecure again. I worked with SZA and thought I never had to feel insecure again. But those things only last for days or weeks, then you’re back to where you are.”

He reckons that it’s an “essential” part of being a creative person, your work and your emotions are so entwined. “You’re always trying to impress yourself.”

Another project that means a lot to Hammarberg is his work with SZA on her SOS album, which was released to great acclaim in 2022. It shows the American artist sitting on the edge of a diving board, surrounded by the sea.

SZA had followed the Swedish designer on Instagram and when her team reached out, it was a “surreal, crazy” moment, as he was a huge fan of her music. Daniel Sannwald, who photographed the cover, had also worked on the Rosalia album and wanted to bring Hammarberg on to graphically bring everything together for the project. “That was one of those projects where they knew exactly the concept of the artwork and then my job was basically to bring it home.”

Hammarberg notes that a big part of that project was the out-of-home work, which he finds interesting because it’s “rewarding” to see your work in real life, not just on a screen. “I love extreme minimalism and a cocky approach, less is more, which is hard to balance because certain billboards need certain details. Anything from ‘Out Now’ to ‘Listen on Spotify,’ plus there’s usually a lot of ‘make the text bigger’ feedback.”

He references his billboard work for Rosalia during Coachella, which was purely a close-up of her eyes. “Make it intriguing, make it not make sense,” he notes. “Then, you’re creating a really strong memory for the viewer, as opposed to seeing exactly what it is and you’ll probably just discard it later because you have all the information you need.”

At his core, Hammarberg is highly detail-oriented, almost obsessively so he admits, especially with personal work. However, working in the fast-paced music industry has taught him to adapt. With tight deadlines, such as turning around a project in just a few days, he’s learned to balance precision with efficiency.

“When I’m designing something, I’ll export it to my phone just to have a different perspective to look at it. And then I’ll go out and drink some coffee and have a cigarette and try to look at it from a fresh perspective. I can get super into it; it really affects me if a detail is off or I notice something. So, I’m extremely, extremely detail-oriented and that’s how I prefer to work.”

Hammarberg touches on his interest in technology and, of course, the subject turns to AI, which he is fascinated by but “cautious” about using it in his work. “In my field, it’s a very, very hot topic because I think a lot of people are scared. Me, personally, the way I see it is kind of like how when the camera was invented and painters were freaking out.

“We then developed two very distinct art forms, so painters are still extremely valued. But I feel like, if I started using AI in my work indiscriminately, that, maybe from like an anxiety standpoint, I don’t want people to question my work and say, ‘Oh, you just used AI.’ I want to distinguish myself.”

Hammarberg does have a second, smaller account that he will post AI-generated artwork on, which he feels is just another way to “express” himself without hindering his core work.

In the future, he sees his creations working well for fashion brands such as Acne Studios or Gucci, but would love to have a solo exhibition at a gallery. “Some kind of show to express myself rather than express someone else. That’s my biggest dream. My client is myself.”