Meet Sam Norden, Designer & Illustrator at Skew

Who the hell was Jason...

I was at the graduate showcase ‘New Designers’; one of the Skew team came to our University stand looking for a ‘Jason’. He never turned up, Skew asked to look at my work, we got talking and I was invited for an interview. I prepared for that interview for two weeks. I rocked up in a suit in the middle of summer while the Skew team were all in shorts and sandals and asked me nothing I’d prepared for. I can remember thinking - oh shit.

What was it about Skew that attracted you?

I didn’t really know what a style guide was. I thought it was just laying pages out but then I understood that you actually created everything in the guide and loved the idea. Also, I saw the breadth of Skew’s projects, I knew I didn’t want to be doing the same thing over and over again and the scope and variety of the studio's projects was MASSIVE.

What makes a project great?

I love creating the branding from scratch. As well as if it’s a character licensing brand that has an interesting character design and I am really into world building so a unique world is great too.

You’re super into the MCU aren’t you...

It all started with Iron Man and I liked the idea that everything is interconnected. I’ve always been drawn to the more obscure characters (not that he is obscure now). I think I must have always been drawn to the branding when I was a kid because I loved the icons on their chests and I’d always create a logo for every character.

Congratulations on being a new Dad...

Thanks. It’s brilliant, especially now he’s getting a few months older and he’s doing more stuff. I can't wait until he gets a bit older and I can start showing him the Marvel Movies. I feel really lucky working from home because I can spend more time with him than I normally would have.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Games and movies. My influences lie in different places compared with many in the studio. Pop culture, digital culture, animation and movies are informing trends and lead to a different perspective.

What is the single most important reason someone should work with Skew?

I’m going to do that thing where I’ll start listing reasons…

Go on then, give us a list...

Our level of talent and expertise.

Our diverse skills - the versatility of our work.

Our drive to do things differently. Every time we do a project we want to make it the best it can be and not just rush it out. I think you can tell there’s a level of care in our work.