An illustration of a crowded gym changing room. A muscular person in a white vest stands by pink lockers, while others lift weights, use a treadmill and check their phones.

The people you can’t avoid at the gym, by illustrator Rami Niemi

Words: Maisie Skidmore
—
Date: 15 July 2015; Work
Illustration

Everybody’s favourite Finn Rami Niemi has scored some cool commissions in his time, drawing in his consistently witty style for clients like Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Magazine and Google – all the big ones. His recent series for the Mr Porter journal, in which he drew the people you’ll meet at the gym, might be one of the neatest yet. Including “The Strong Man,” “The Jock Strap” and “The New Leafer” among others, the series is a great example of what good art direction and a sweet commission can be in the right hands.

An illustration of a crowded gym and changing room. People lift weights, run on treadmills and stretch, while a muscular figure stands in the foreground of the locker room. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Gym, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a muscular person in a white tank top and patterned shorts lifting weights in a gym. They hold a dumbbell in one hand and a heavy weight plate in the other, with a small puff of breath and stars around their head. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Strong Man, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a person in a black T-shirt and spotted leggings struggling to lift two kettlebells. Each weight is labelled “15 kg”, and a question mark floats above the person’s head. A list titled “Training 101” hangs on the wall behind them. — Above
Rami Niemi: The New Leafer, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a boxer punching a yellow training pad held by another person. The pad features the words “HEY MAN” in a small white box. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Boxerciser, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a person with a beard running on a treadmill while drinking from a blue water bottle. A digital display shows “32.5 km” and “12 m/s”, while a discarded banana peel and apple lie on the floor. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Long Distance Treadmiller, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a celebrating athlete jumping in the air with arms raised. They wear a white long-sleeved top and blue shorts, both featuring the number “28”, and a chunky gold chain. A gold trophy labelled “MVP” and a medal sit on the floor beside them. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Jock Strap, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a person struggling to do a push-up while a trainer looks on. The trainer stands with arms crossed, surrounded by symbols of anger and frustration. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Personal Trainer, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of three people standing arm-in-arm, smiling. The central figure wears a black T-shirt with the word “SANDY” and blue patterned shorts. — Above
Rami Niemi: The Spinning Acolyte, commissioned by Mr Porter

An illustration of a heavy barbell with yellow and green weights. A small, blue-and-yellow weight lies on its side in front of the bar, leaking a blue liquid. — Above
Rami Niemi: Commissioned by Mr Porter

Further Info

www.raminiemi.com
www.agentpekka.com

About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

—

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

The people you can’t avoid at the gym, by illustrator Rami Niemi

Share Article

Further Info

About the Author

Related content

From wax seals to postal stamps, Aplomb perfume’s packaging has the intimacy of a handwritten letter

Artwork for anyone that’s looking: Bill Rebholz on taking ‘trash’ and turning it into beautiful vernacular signs

Mona Chalabi on making sense of the unmeasurable

Affinity and Cavalry give creatives somewhere to create freely… and for free

It's Nice That Newsletters