Christian von Hanno
A Journey Through Art, Design, and Entrepreneurship
The Beginning
From art to entrepreneurship, my journey has been driven by a deep passion for photography, music, design, and the pursuit of creativity.
I was born in Halmstad, Sweden, in 1984 into a family of artists. My mother, Eva von Hanno, was an actress and multidisciplinary artist, while my father, Lennart Olson, was a renowned art photographer whose work was exhibited at MoMA. My grandmother was a long-time educator at Oslo National Academy of Arts (KHiO), and my great-great-grandfather, Wilhelm von Hanno, was an architect and painter. His son, Carl von Hanno, was a celebrated painter known for his expressive works.
As a child, I spent countless hours in my father's darkroom, captivated by the magic of images emerging on paper. At seven, I moved to Norway with my mother into a studio home in Ekely, next to Edvard Munch's former atelier, immersing me in an environment rich with artistic heritage.
A Passion for Music
While surrounded by contemporary art, music became another vital creative outlet in my life. I started playing the piano at seven, later picking up the guitar, singing, and composing. During my years at the Waldorf School in Oslo, I formed a band called Wonderband with my friends.
I dedicated countless hours to composing, producing, and exploring different sounds and styles, eventually performing at clubs and venues.
Photography & Art
Inspired by my father, I explored photography, particularly both digital and analogue photography, and historical printing techniques. At 20, I became the youngest artist ever accepted into Høstutstillingen with a gum print, and was also accepted the year after with a digital photo. I was now certain this was the path I was meant to follow.
Seeking to refine my craft, I studied at Einar Granum Kunstfagskole, where I explored silkscreen printing, painting, ceramics, and model-making. This experience unexpectedly sparked an interest in product design, shaping my next steps.
View my photography →From Art to Design
Curious about design, I pursued a bachelor's degree in product design at the University of Hertfordshire. Here, I developed ideas in 3D modeling, welding, and prototyping, earning multiple awards for my projects.
After returning to Oslo, I completed a master's in industrial design at The Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), where I was introduced to UX and service design. During this time, I also embraced a new chapter: fatherhood. My first son, William, was born, followed by Albert a few years later.
View projects on Cargo Collective →
Service Design
After completing my studies, I joined Itera as a service designer, playing a key role in establishing the company's service design practice. Fully dedicated to the field, I later co-founded Service Design Network Norway to further develop and promote service design in the region.
In 2015, Ulla Sommerfelt invited me to join EGGS Design, a design agency renowned for its human-centered approach and vibrant culture.
At EGGS, I worked on impactful projects for clients such as MUNCH, Kongsberg Maritime, ARK, Statsbygg, DNB, KLP, and Bertel O. Steen. One of the most significant projects was leading the design for Circle K's major transition from traditional petrol stations to electric energy hubs, crafting a seamless ecosystem for charging points and enhancing the overall customer experience.
Read more about the project →The Birth of Atelie
While working at EGGS, another project was taking shape in parallel—one that would ultimately redefine my path.
Atelie was born from a conversation at Oslo Open in 2015, in my friend Mikael Hegnar's art studio. We realized that countless exceptional artworks remained hidden in studios, while potential buyers had no clear way to discover them.
Excited by the idea, we shared it with our friends Markus Eckbo Endresen and Ruben Steinum, who immediately recognized its potential. Together, we decided to start a company.
With an investment from EGGS Design and support from Innovation Norway, we launched our first MVP in 2017 in collaboration with Oslo Open, rapidly onboarding over 200 artists. However, scaling proved to be a challenge—development moved slowly, and sales remained minimal, presenting early hurdles we needed to overcome.
Taking the Leap
Despite our passion, growth remained slow. We pitched at startup competitions, sought grants from Innovation Norway, and juggled full-time jobs alongside our startup. After years of struggling, we realized that in order to continue, someone needed to be fully dedicated.
In 2020, I took the leap—leaving my role at EGGS to focus entirely on Atelie. While my co-founders remained involved on the board, I took the reins operationally, determined to take Atelie to the next level. Finally, growth started happening. The journey has been a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs, but today, Atelie stands as Norway's largest curated marketplace for contemporary art, showcasing 1,000 professional artists on the platform.
Discover art on atelie.art →MrPanface
A few years ago, I discovered TikTok. What started as a playful experiment—creating emoji faces on Snapchat—evolved into making Sunday pancake mornings more entertaining for my kids by crafting pancakes that "sang" karaoke.
Over time, this led to the creation of pancake mornings more entertaining for my kids by crafting pancakes that "sang" karaoke.
Over time, this led to the creation of MrPanface, a quirky character that unexpectedly gained traction online. While MrPanface remains a passion project rather than a business, it has grown to over 800,000 followers and amassed more than 100 million views. Even legendary bands like Metallica, The Offspring, and System of a Down have commented on my videos.
Visit MrPanface on TikTok →
Interested in learning more or collaborating?
With a background in art, design, and entrepreneurship, I share insights at the intersection of these fields through keynote talks, podcasts, and media appearances. If you're interested in collaboration or engaging discussions, feel free to reach out.