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Nora Pelss










Remembrance through celebration
 EKA Bachelor´s projectReceived cum laude honorsTutor: Laura Pappa
Essay tutor: Sandra Nuut & Else Lagerspetz 
Have you ever thought about what will happen once you’re gone? How would your close ones remember you, and what are the moments that would remind them of you? What if instead of your funeral, the day would be celebrated like your birthday? “Remembrance Through Celebration” introduces an alternative outlook on death by offering various positive and thoughtful ways to remember the dead by celebrating and cherishing their life. Ideas range from pressing ashes down to a cocktail glass to playing the videogame Animal Crossing together. The publication also features an essay on tombstone typography and visuals ”Please don’t bury me in Arial,” which provides context on researching and illustrating the aesthetics of death.

The first section of the print is filled with funeral photos inherited from my grandmother, surrounded by deep black, mimicking the aesthetic world of Estonian gravestones. The part of the book with ideas on positive remembrance starts with a striking neon pink, printed with UV ink, that symbolizing the freshness of the ideas and their contrast to tradition.

Handwritten headline font
UV ink
Hand bound
47 pages

Lasteabi campaign
Estonian Design Awards nominationCreated during Ruum 414 apprenticeship “As adults, we often tend to forget that being a child is also challenging. To help both children as well as adults, Lasteabi was created which provides advice, listening, and assisting services. 

Our cooperation with Lasteabi started with a campaign introducing their services and highlighting the main message: “We’re always there, anytime and with any problem”. In the center of the campaign, we created eye-catching characters in the middle of their daily situations and problems that Lasteabi offers to help with.

Our cooperation was such a huge success during the campaign creation process that Lasteabi decided to develop its whole visual identity in the same direction as the campaign. The project that started with some posters, a flyer, and a planner will soon be accompanied by an app and a new website,” writes Ruum 414 about Lasteabi.

12 illustrations, posters, flyer and planner
Inspired Lasteabi's developing visual identity
EDA nomination in Graphic and Media Design: / Social  Cohesion, the New Normal, and Crisis Management

Exhibition “Human sponge in the age of  Screens”
Exhibition artist: Kaisa Maasik “The Human Sponge in the Age of Screens’ deals with the susceptibility of children and the way kids mimic everything they see and hear. The project brings together video footage filmed by kids themselves. Something that the gathered material has in common is its influences from mass media, the mainstream film and music industry,” writes Maasik about her solo exhibition. 

Maasik adds: “The endless creativity, sincerity and enthusiasm of children in the work is amazing. But it’s clouded by the violence in most of the scenes. When mirroring their surroundings, kids have a way of showing us what society is like in general.”

In my design I wanted to capture the sensation of experiencing the chaotic world of television for the first time as a child, an entrancing feeling which full impact only becomes clear much later.

Custom illustrations
Window stickers and other exhibition details
AgenturundusCreated at Sweep
Agenturundus is a unique board game specifically designed for professionals in the marketing field. Whether you're an advertising guru, a marketing shark, a media specialist, or just an enthusiast, you'll find yourself in familiar situations that bring joy of recognition. But while we usually strive together towards a common goal, in this game, only one can win.

I designed and illustrated the box, game board, and 40 cards in Sweep's visual identity style, aiming to visualize media, marketing, and creativity concepts in a fun yet aesthetically pleasing way.

11 custom illustrations
40 different cards
Box, board and instructions


European Design Awards optionCreated during Ruum 414 apprenticeship
Ruum 414 was tasked with designing a seasonal design for the European Design Festival 2022 in Tallinn. “The key word we were given for a solution was "creativity". We generated various ideas, keeping in mind the desire for the final visual to speak to a wide audience. The central symbol of the awards is the asterisk, or the "little star",” writes Ruum 414 about the project. 

I got the chance to design an option for the EDA 2022 awards within the team. Although my idea didn't eventually make the final cut, I received great feedback both in concept and execution. My concept centered around unifiying designers from around the world and bringing creativity together especially in a post-covid era. 

3 award screen designs 
Social media and print drafts


Balbiino summer campaignCreated during Angels apprenticeship
Angels were tasked with designing a summer campaign for Balbiino ice cream. Ice cream buyers also had the opportunity of winning 7777€ award. 

During my apprenticeship I got the chance to help Angels art director Triin Heimann with illustrating frames for the animation which eventually got put into motion by A-film. Music by Reket.

12 illustrations 
End frame design



Taeva Pesamuna “Skillful fingers”
Golden Egg Taeva Pesamuna 2022Created with Uku Art Mikkin and Polina Petuhhova The war in Ukraine has brought tens of thousands to Estonia, seeking safety and fair work. Unfortunately, some employers see them as cheap labor, overlooking their rights. It's vital to ensure they receive fair wages and humane conditions, showing that Estonia values democracy and human dignity. 

Taeva Pesamuna brief was to communicate to employers the seriousness of this situation and bring awareness.

In our solution we emphasized: “As employers, we have the power to offer war refugees fair wages, equal working conditions, and humane working hours. By providing them with a valuable experience in the Estonian job market, we all benefit!”

Our design featured the CY Grotesk typeface, created by Ukrainian font designer Maksym Kobuzan.

Online banners
Print posters
Radio clip
Bespoke solution
Tervisekassa for Arvamusfestival Created as a freelancer
Tervisekassa came to me with a request of illustrations to visualize their talk at Arvamusfestival 2021 on the process of how to improve cervical cancer screenings.

As the topic was serious and the talk raised many questions about problems in the current system and ideas how to improve I decided to illustrate the designs in a way which would convey the emotions of women going through the process. For problematic, confusing or difficult steps i added dark gradients to the designs to show how a woman may feel getting results about her cervical cancer screening. For improvement possibilities i added a brighter gradient to communicate hope or clarity.

11 designs and illustrations
Potential improvement in the process thanks to Tervisekassa's talk


Low barCreated at an EKA workshop taught by Björn Giesecke and Otso Aapeli Peräsaari.
During our workshop we were tasked with creating branding and advertisements for a DIY bar we built inside the school. I got the chance to create the main designs such as the posters and mini flyers. To create some mystery and intrigue among fellow students I placed the flyers in random places around the school - spots where one would have to stop and look. With another student we added humorous but strange and catchy sentences to create even more of a mystery. To ensure my design goes unnoticed I printed them with a risograph in bright pink and blue.

Overall the campaign was very successful and the bar was packed all night from people around the school.

Over 100 flyers and posters
Campaign was a success