Telemark County, Norway
You might know Telemark county for its traditional Telemark ski, its rich cultural history, its stave churches, the canal – carrying boats 105 kilometers inland, all the way from Skien to Dalen – or the pictoresque coast line area surrounding Kragerø – “The Pearl of the Coastal Towns” as the painter Edvard Munch once named it. Tourism is important for the region, and by enlisting the help of the multi-displinary agency Snøhetta, Telemark is set to expand its brand.
Telemark’s visual identity is designed to help the many tourism operators and businesses in the county to appear unified and coherent. The purpose is to communicate the experience of Telemark as a modern and exciting destination, drawing to more visitors to spend valuable time in the county.
Snøhetta has developed a bold new identity, utilizing the regular weight of Sindre Bremnes’ Telefon as the main brand face, paired with Adobe Caslon for extended text. The identity is rolled out slowly over the coming years, aided by a web-based profile manual complete with downloadable templates, colour swatches, logotype variations and a continously growing database of photography (shot by photographers Marcus Nyberg and Steve Warburton).
Snøhetta’s own presentation of the project has even more details, and a video introducing the web-based design manual.
The identity is packed with templates and example-usage, including billboards, ads, business cards and editorial design – both digital and in print.
The logotype features a custom drawn wordmark and a symbol than can be filled with various textures and images. Snøhetta writes about the identity:
The overall idea of Telemark's visual identity is contrasts that complement and reinforce each other. The wet appears wetter in juxtaposition with the dry. The icy cold feels harsher in the face of the heat. The modern assumes a new perspective when paired with the traditional.
1 Comment on “Telemark County, Norway”
The identity has (perhaps not surprisingly) recieved a lot of criticism in Norway (in Norwegian).
Note also this article in Creative Review.