We ♥ Web with Simon Riisnæs Dagfinrud Freelance Developer

At the recent We ♥ Web event, Simon Riisnæs Dagfinrud, a freelance developer and designer who specializes in computational design, shared his insights on creative coding, interaction design, and building with color.

Simon’s session took place from 13:00 - 13:45 in MLH01A30.

Simon explored how coding can be both expressive and functional, encouraging attendees to keep interactions lightweight and just make cool stuff.

A Living Style Guide

Simon developed a dynamic tool to test and rate contrast in web design, grading combinations from A to F. This style guide evolved as a live resource to evaluate how background colors impact readability and accesibility.

Color Play with Bygdepride

In the project for Bygdepride, Simon showcased how to match and generate random colors effectively. The site celebrated playful, inclusive design through expressive visuals rooted in his color experiments.

Oslo: Designing for Movement

For Soul Sessions Oslo, a street dance collective, Simon created a series of logo variations not with a generator, but by manually crafting and showcasing them randomly. The result? A playful, ever-changing brand identity in motion.

Pixel-Pushed Video with JavaScript

Faced with large video file sizes for a client project, Simon pixelated the video and recreated it in JavaScript using the colors from his contrast style guide. The outcome sparked interest from clients eager to use this for social media and other content channels.

Featured Cases

Forma: Code-Driven Identity Design

Simon created a logo system for Forma using JavaScript. The design featured animated icons and editable sizes, making branding playful and dynamic. He even translated the concept into wearable design by printing the logo onto shirts.

House Captain: Playful Color, Playful Code

The website for House Captain embraced a bold and fun color palette, reflecting the project’s creative spirit and Simon’s philosophy that color doesn’t have to be “safe” to be effective.

Simon.com: A Portfolio of Vibrance

Simon’s personal portfolio website, Simon.com, is a playground of vibrant colors and inventive layouts—showing off not just his skills, but his personality and experimentation.

Naive Set: Creative Freedom in Grids

With complete freedom for the Naive Set album project, Simon built an extensive grid system of blocks for the site background. The handmade logo inspired a visual identity that was both experimental and tactile.

Key Takeaways from Simon

• The product is the idea – Don’t focus only on the final output.
• Weird is good – Stay weird (or at least consider becoming it).
• Language matters – Try using your native language in projects.
• Don’t niche down too soon – You don’t have to specialize to make great work.
• Collect your own references – Build a personal visual library.
• Question discomfort – If something feels “not right,” explore why.

“Just make cool stuff.” – Simon Riisnæs Dagfinrud