My name is Alma Gade, and on a daily basis I work as a graphic designer and illustrator. I graduated from the Royal Academy with a master's degree in Graphic Communication Design. My illustrative practice is characterized by simple, hand-drawn motifs, often inspired by French lifestyle and culture or the small moments of everyday life. I have a passion for the simple and immediate, and my creative process often starts with a sketch in the notebook, after which I further develop the motif digitally.
I am very pleased with the collaboration with Unmute on the development of an ABC poster. It is an exciting project that makes learning fun and interactive. At a time when screen time can be overstimulating for children, these alphabet posters offer a tactile and sensory experience that stimulates both the sense of sight, hearing and touch, which I believe is important for children's learning and development.
My art is characterized by a simple, naive drawing style with an immediacy that captures the small moments of everyday life. My motifs are often inspired by food and wine and have clear French ancestry, which gives my illustrations a classic and Francophile look. My creative process typically starts with a sketch in my notebook, after which I develop it further digitally. I also love to play with words and their meaning, which often adds a humorous dimension or whimsy to my works.
Instagram: @almagade | Website: almacade.com
Visual and auditory stimulation
An ABC poster is a classic in any children's room. Research shows that children learn best through a combination of visual and auditory stimulation, and the effect is even stronger when it happens through play.
It is not without reason that LEGO, with its philosophy of "Learning through Play," is one of the world's biggest toy brands. Unmute's extra layer of music and song reinforces learning through rhythm, rhyme and repetition.
Unmute's ABC poster with song creates the perfect balance where the children are stimulated, but without being overstimulated , as is often seen with YouTube videos and cartoons. At the same time, it provides a good opportunity to get the children away from the screen and engage in a more calm and creative form of learning, which supports their natural curiosity and development.
Behind Alma Gade's ABC poster you will find Unmute's ABC song. It plays when you press the bottom of the frame and is sung by Molly Koppel and composed by Sune Carlsson Kølster.
The collaboration between singer Molly Koppel and film composer Sune Kølster has spanned the past twelve years, where Molly has collaborated and sung in a number of short films, feature films and TV series - including award-winning films.
"That's why it was important for us to make a melody that can challenge a bit more than the usual alphabet song that most people know."
"With the music for this Unmute, we have created a brand new ABC song. Children are generally really musical and are super easy to learn, therefore it was important for us to create a melody that can challenge a bit more than the usual alphabet song, which most people know. Precisely because we know that children can learn a bit more complex melodies than they are often faced with, and at the same time, our alphabet song, with its distinctive melody, is more personal for the child with the music, the melody can be part of the children's room right from the start. The music will be able to function as a safe and entertaining element when the small child needs to be changed or played, for example. Later in kindergarten and school age, the poster will give rise to conversation about letters, words, movement and of course song."