Olsen's frog spawns mobile-phone covers
The Australian Financial Review, Page 33, Computers 13 August 1996
David Crowe
Australian artist John Olsen last night brought aesthetics to electronics, introducing new artworks that apply his trademark style to the latest digital mobile phones.
Mr Olsen is one of three Australian artists to cement the mobile phone's status as a personal and artistic
statement, issuing a limited edition of 1,000 mobile-phone covers in conjunction with Ericsson.
The covers feature one of Mr Olsen's most popular and recurring images - the frog - in a design he said
would help add a personal touch to an otherwise purely functional object.
Two other Australian artists, Howard Arkley and Ricky Howell, have also designed covers - three each to be issued in similar limited editions. The Australian artists will be matched by the local release of Ericsson's European covers, featuring Pablo Picasso, Lennart Rodhe, Keith Haring, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Ulrica Hydman-Vallien.
Ericsson's marketing manager for mobile phones, Ms Paula Callenbach, said yesterday that future issues
might include designs by Brett Whiteley and further designs by Mr Olsen - featuring cats and birds, not
frogs.
Each Australian pack costs $75 - the Europeans cost $45 - and contains three "flip" covers which can be
attached to Ericsson's GF337 or newer GF388 digital mobile phones, but not GH337 or GH388 models.
Information about the covers is available from Ericsson on 1 800 033 700.