Snøhetta Identity & Web
Our Common Heritage and Future

2022–2024

Graphic & Digital Design

Introduction

Our visual identity is a manifest of our common heritage and history. When Snøhetta was established in 1989, an illustration of the mountain from which the company borrows its name was introduced and has been part of our identity ever since. Even with several iterations, the perspective and use of the iconic mountain remain the same over 30 years later.

Technical details

Typologies
Visual Identity, Digital & Creative Tech
Status
Ongoing
Type Design
Web Development
Logo Animation
Scope

Visual Identity
Digital Design
Custom Typography
Art Direction
Creative Development
Brand Implementation

Late 80's, early 90's: The shape of the mountain in the front with the two peaks in the back was established early. Internal design by Snøhetta.

Early 2000's: The first modern take on the symbol, supported with timely typography. Internal design by Snøhetta.

2008: The only time someone non-internal did a redesign of the identity. Also the only version of the identity without the mountain. Made by Norwegian design studio Bleed, who did a full rebrand and new website.

2014: Designed by the then newly established internal design department. The mountain was brought back again.

The logo expands horizontally to cre­at­e a place­ment for titles and infor­ma­tion, to create a democratic space where everything is equality important. A simple and strong layout principle being used through­out our visu­al identity.

The Typography

In partnership with Dinamo Typefaces, a custom version of ABC Social was created. We call it Dovre Social, after the municipality where the Snøhetta mountain is located.

The Colours

Our colours are black and white, and everything in between. Greys are adapted for both light and dark backgrounds, and are used to build the text hierarchy instead of type weight and scale.

The Website

When redesigning our website, our main challenge was to find new and more engaging ways of communicating our projects, disciplines, and philosophy. We've worked extensively on how to convey the physical and spatial aspects of our practice through technology and design. To respond to this, we have designed and developed several custom features, including a globe view option when exploring projects, 3D modules that can be added to projects, and interactive image headings for archive material.

See the locations of all Snøhetta projects through a globe view option.

A custom made 3D module gives us the chance to give a realistic impression of physical models.

The gallery view gives a presentation ready look for all projects on the site.

Explore material from the archive through a custom made canvas view, in use for a selected few projects. 

A Custom Generative Soundscape

To further explore how we could convey sensory qualities in a digital context, we created a custom soundscape generator that is used on a few selected projects. The generator creates a new way of experiencing Snøhetta's projects, playing an infinite mix of ambient music mixed with recordings from the site.

How colour in images are translated into notes.

The soundscape from the Under project. Try it out in the gallery view in the project.

Try it out yourself in the Norwegian National Opera project.

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