Bjarne Melgaard Enterprise
An e-mail first visual identity
2019–2020
Introduction
When world-renowned contemporary artist Bjarne Melgaard moved home to Norway, he had a request for us: To design an e-mail signature for his new company, Bjarne Melgaard Enterprise.
We decided to create a visual identity that is designed from the e-mail signature and out. Yet, the thing is, e-mail technology has stayed largely unchanged since the mid-90s. This brought us on a journey through the origin of e-mail technology and obsolete code, where the limitations eventually became the expression: A visual identity created through Internet culture and technology – a reflection of Bjarne Melgaard as an artist.
Technical details
Bjarne Melgaard Enterprises
The Point of Departure: The E-mail Signature -> E-mail is still one of the most used communication tools in contemporary office culture. Consequently, e-mail signatures are more important than handwritten ones. The Bjarne Melgaard Enterprise brand identity is founded upon an “e-mail first” philosophy, which allows the entire visual language to be conveyed using only text via Unicode symbols.
Using Text to Create Images -> Text is the preferred way to convey images, and the standard ASCII character set from 1963 still does the job. Test the image style live with your webcam in the digital design manual.
Digital Brand Manual -> The brand manual allows users to explore the visual identity through a set of interactive modules. Infinite combinations of the logo are visualized, and the image style can be tested through a live webcam experience. The digital brand manual can be accessed at bjarnemelgaard.enterprises
Infinitely Scalable -> The Bjarne Melgaard Enterprise brand identity scales from single Unicode letters to a full visual universe of all sizes and types of applications. Future possible ventures of the enterprise such as a space shuttle and headquarters are provided for inspiration.
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