Project
My Moominhouse Competition
Client
Moomin Characters
Role
Visual design
Illustration
UI-design
Tools
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
Figma
OVERVIEW
"My Moominhouse competition" was a digital campaign launched to kick off the 80th anniversary of the beloved Moomin characters. The project aimed to create a playful and engaging online space where fans could share their own interpretations of the iconic Moominhouse through crafts, drawings, and other creative formats.
The final outcome was a desktop-first website that allowed users to submit their work and explore a curated gallery of submissions from around the world. The goal was to build more than just a website — we wanted to create an immersive, participatory experience that felt true to the Moomin spirit of imagination and adventure.
Team included two designers and two developers., and we worked closely with the client.
This project was a unique opportunity to collaborate with a culturally significant brand and contribute something completely new to the Moomin universe.
1024 submissions ★ 76 000 unique visitors
BRIEF
The original idea was to create a simple photo gallery, a safe and familiar solution. But the team saw an opportunity to make the experience more adventurous, interactive, and true to the Moomin spirit.
We proposed building a map-based experience where users could explore and discover other submissions. The client embraced the idea, which gave us the rare chance to create a whole new valley next to the original Moominvalley — expanding the Moomin universe in a playful way.
NEXT STEPS
We began by exploring how to design an interactive map like this. We studied other websites that used creative map solutions and gathered inspiration.
Key decisions included the map’s viewing angle, level of detail, zoom functionality, and how user submissions would appear. Rather than generic pins or icons, we chose to represent each entry with a unique hut or dwelling, in line with the campaign theme: “My Moominhouse.”
This is how I got an amazing opportunity to design my own little houses for the Moomin universe.
To make the website feel more like an experience and something worth returning to, we came up with the idea to make each window of the houses act as its own submission point. When a submission was received, a light would turn on in that house’s window.
This approach helped bring the map to life, making it feel more dynamic and engaging as there was more and more participants.
It was my honor to design the map for the website, and I created it entirely in Adobe Illustrator. Due to the large number of assets and the need for flexible editing, Illustrator was the most practical tool — it also made it easier to collaborate and share files with another designer.
In the end, the file became massive — both in size and complexity — reflecting the richness of the world we were building.
DESIGN
The user journey was designed to feel magical and immersive — as if they were gliding through clouds and arriving above Moominvalley.
All interface design and UI elements were created in Figma, with a focus on simplicity and clarity. We kept the overall design minimalistic, allowing the illustrated map to take center stage.
Special attention was given to user-submitted entries, ensuring they visually stood out on the map.
