Non-Format

Non-Format is a two-person creative direction and communication design firm founded by Kjell Ekhorn (Norwegian, b. 1965) and Jon Forss (British, b.1966). After meeting in England in the late 1990s, Ekhorn and Forss collaborated on several projects before establishing their own firm EkhornForss Limited in 2001. The name was soon changed to Non-Format, which the two derived from an article in the popular design magazine Emigre about the future demise of the DVD and the impending “mythical non-format” that would replace it. While the duo founded the company when they were both living in London, they have since moved an ocean apart and several time zones apart. Forss has been based in St. Paul, Minnesota since 2007 and Ekhorn has worked from Norway since 2009. A true twenty-first century design team, the partners spend much of their time collaborating with the aid of the internet, swapping ideas and files and holding meetings via Skype. Their work has included art direction, design, illustration, and custom typography for commercial clients including Adobe, Coca-Cola, EMI, Gap, IBM, New York Times, Nike, Nokia, Rock Owens, and Sony Music. Non-Format’s earliest projects were music packaging, and they continue to produce innovative and creative designs in this field, most notably with Lo Recordings, with whom they have worked since Non-Format was founded. Non-Format has received a number of design awards, including a D&AD Yellow Pencil, two Tokyo TDC Prizes, and a New York ADC Gold.

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