Ernie Ball has always prided itself on working with not only the world’s best musical artists but the world’s best visual artists too. Since 1962 we’ve brought our strings and products to life through next-level art, design, and color and in 2024 we continued that tradition by collaborating with Berlin-based artist Florian Schommer to create a stunning artwork for our window boxes. Our creative director, Chuck Anderson sat down with Florian for a conversation about his work, love of music, travels, and more.
Art Director and Designer working within branding, illustration, editorial design, packaging design, and contemporary art. Dividing his time between personal projects and working with a variety of international clients. Florian performs his own recognizable style, while also being able to adapt to his customers’ preferences. Growing up in the skate & punk scene of the 90s, he later attended art college in Dusseldorf while constantly touring the world with a variety of bands. He’s now living and working in Berlin and became a member of the german and european Art Directors Club in 2018.
FlorianSchommer.com
Chuck Anderson (Ernie Ball Creative Director and founder of nopattern.com), spoke with Schommer about his background, creative process, and inspiration behind the latest Ernie Ball Slinky artwork.
Q & A with Florian Schommer
CA: Just to get us started, where are you from, and how long have you been working as a freelance artist?
FS: I’m from West Germany, I grew up near the borders of the Netherlands and Belgium. I’m from a super small village—there wasn’t much there except a skate park. Skating is really what first connected me to subculture. Through skating, I found music, started a band with some friends from the park, and that’s also when I first noticed Ernie Ball branding—my friends brought their guitar strings over, and I thought, “Such sick branding.” From the band, I got into graphic design—mostly because I wasn’t really good at playing bass. So I did the flyers, logo designs and stuff like this.
CA: Let’s talk about the band—was it hardcore? Punk?
FS: We started out as a punk band, but it shifted more into hardcore over time. A lot of the guys in our town were straight edge, and we were always driving to shows in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the rural area in Germany, there was a pretty active scene there. Bands like Rise and Fall, Justice.
CA: I love that. Music’s been foundational for so many artists. It sneaks into the work in subtle ways. And with yours, that influence is clear—it feels rooted in that culture.
FS: Yeah, I think it’s a mix. I see a lot of skate graphics influence in my work, mixed with punk stuff. I don’t see it as super hardcore in style—more like those old Santa Cruz illustrations.
CA: Jim Phillips and that stuff, yeah. I see that, that’s great. Was there a specific piece of art, design, or maybe an album cover that really sparked something for you?
FS: Yeah. I can remember the first time I saw Black Flag flyers by Raymond Pettibon. They were kind of shocking to me—not even for the style, but because they felt violent in a way that made me feel something, I thought it was crazy. They had real energy. Also, the Suffer cover by Bad Religion. It wasn’t the aesthetic as much as the feeling—a little kid running down the road on fire.
CA: Did you start with drawing?
FS: Yeah, just pen and paper. Then scanning stuff. Photoshop came much later.
CA: Do you work out of a home studio or a separate space?
FS: I kind of switch it up. Right now, I have a studio in Kreuzberg, Berlin. After growing up in a small town, I moved around a bit—first Düsseldorf, then moved to Hamburg, and now I’m in Berlin. A lot of my friends from the music scene are here. Sometimes I also work from home—it depends on the project and my mood.
CA: Let’s talk about the Ernie Ball collaboration. You’ve worked with a wide range of clients, but some—like Harley or Ernie Ball—just make so much sense. Your style feels really aligned with them, even though they’re classic American brands. Do you gravitate toward that kind of client?
FS: I try to keep my work diverse, but yeah, this style is definitely a main part of what I do. I’m a small-town German kid, but we grew up watching American culture a lot—it was our window to the world kind of. Those bands, that culture—it was a big influence for me. So now, to work with those same types of brands, it feels full circle. That said, it can also feel more personal and pressure-filled. Like, I want to get it right, because I care about it and have a history with it.
CA: What was your process like once you started on this artwork?
FS: Pretty straightforward. I knew I wanted to reinterpret the traditional eagle illustration—give it a twist, but not change it too much. It’s kind of perfect as it is. The eagle’s eyes are wild, like it’s in shock. I wanted it to feel a little crazy—like the electricity of guitar music.
CA: Yeah, I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking it just nailed the vibe. It felt true to the original, but completely fresh. The contrast and colors too—those reds, oranges, and blues just pop.
FS: Thanks. That palette actually came from a personal project—a Muay Thai fighter illustration I did based on my travels in Asia. That color combo comes up in a lot of my work. And that series was what initially caught Ernie Ball’s attention.
CA: Do you ever sneak Easter eggs into your work?
FS: I do, especially in personal projects and sometimes in gig posters. Not so much in commercial work, though—it can backfire. But yeah, I like including details that maybe only I know about.
CA: What’s your current balance of personal vs. commercial work?
FS: I’d say around 50% commercial, 25% band posters, 25% personal work. I need that personal time to explore new styles or directions. I can get bored if I do ten gig posters in a row, you know? I actually really like the back-and-forth with a good client. Feedback helps evolve the work, even if you don’t see it right away. I think you should cherish good feedback.
CA: Yeah, same. You start out thinking you know best, but with time you realize that client feedback—when it’s thoughtful—is valuable. It’s a conversation. You’re both trying to get to the best outcome.
FS: Exactly. It has to be a conversation. If they trust you, and you trust them, that’s when it works.
CA: Do you still play music?
FS: I used to sing in a few bands. Started out playing bass, but more because we needed someone to play it. Once we move from punk more toward hardcore, I focused on vocals.
CA: What are you listening to these days?
FS: As far as hardcore, probably Turnstile. I toured with Trapped Under Ice when they were in Europe. We did three weeks together, but mostly my band toured on our own. Sometimes hardcore can be too much when I’m working. I found this site—radiooooo.com, with a lot of O’s at the end—you can type in “India rock music 1970” or something like that, it’s like a world map and it pulls radio stations from all over. Good for background music.
CA: Are there any dream projects you haven’t done yet?
FS: Honestly, I’ve been lucky, all my jobs have been so fun. I’ve done stuff for Adidas, Nike, AC/DC, Pearl Jam. Never expected I’d do any of that. But I think doing a New Yorker cover would be the ultimate for an illustrator. Growing up, my uncle had a few framed covers on the wall, and I’d try to redraw them. That would be a full circle moment. Also, something special for a sports team would be nice too.
CA: That makes sense. Sports and music clients bring so much built-in energy.
FS: It’s the greatest always when you have a huge variety of clients. Beer company, music, sports—it keeps things interesting. You step out of a job, go into something new and have something completely different. When you do too many similar jobs back to back, you can get bored kind of, then you can’t give your best.
CA: Totally. Last thing—travel seems like a big influence on your work. Talk a bit about that.
FS: Huge. I toured a lot with the band. We played in China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Russia, even Africa. Playing somewhere like Indonesia or Africa, where people don’t know the “rules” of a hardcore show, or a dress code or whatever, that was amazing. You see like the true emotion and that was really interesting to see.
CA: What was the band name?
FS: AYS. Just three letters. I played in a few others, but that one was the most active. It shaped a lot of who I am now.
CA: Have you spent much time in the US?
FS: Yeah, my uncle and aunt live in the US. So I’ve been to LA, Miami, New York, North Carolina—all when I was quite young. When I was in school all the other kids were into German football, but I had been to the US so I was listening to Cypress Hill and Ice Cube and obsessed with basketball. My family would send me CDs from the States. I think that was a big influence as a kid.
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