Where things take shape

I believe every designer should have their own little corner on the internet. This is mine.

At my office in downtown Oslo · Photo: Andreas Hennie

I’m Gjermund Rein Gustavsen, a designer and co-founder of Tight. My workday is all about drawing stuff on screens, like apps and websites. The kind of thing I would be doing anyway, which makes my career a fortunate one.

Ever since I was a kid, I've been doodling and playing around with my computer. Somewhere in my teens, I realized I could combine these things into a career. What started with 11-year-old me helping out my photographer grandpa learn Photoshop, snowballed into logo designs for my parents' friends, and later to my own company when enough of these projects had materialized.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of helping some really talented teams up their internet game. Banks like Folio, media companies like VG, world chess champions like Magnus Carlsen. The list is long, and it's been a lot of fun.

A somewhat chaotic moment at the prestigious DOGA Award for Design and Architecture, where our work for Oslo City Bike was in the spotlight. Me to the left.

I'm the kind of guy that enjoys the behind-the-scenes clips as much as the movie itself. The process, the struggle, the refused takes etc. The real story is in the messy middle, so it feels natural to have a place of my own. To share notes, learnings, and resources, completely free from algorithms and noise.

Software, tools & Figma

I'm a leader of Friends of Figma here in Oslo, together with Christian Lunde.

Over the years, I’ve taught Figma to a wide range of clients, including UX Norge, NAV, KLP, several design agencies, and various Norwegian public sector organizations. The sessions have spanned everything from beginner fundamentals to advanced workflows, covering topics like design systems, variables, AI and more.

If you're interested in a Figma lecture for your company, hit me up at g@tight.no.