In autumn 2021, the new secondhand mall Egna – in English “suitable” – opened its doors in the Norwegian city of Bodø. The location is well chosen and very apt. In 2024, Bodø will be one of the three European Capitals of Culture and in 2016, it was awarded the prize for sustainable urban development by the Ministry of Municipal and Regional Development and was named the most attractive town in Norway.

But Egna is more than just a secondhand department store, it is a sustainability market. “In cooperation with a number of partners, we develop and promote new, circular businesses and local supply chains that contribute to more environmentally friendly jobs and business models. In addition, we offer people, who are outside the labor market, the opportunity to further their education” says the store about its concept and vision. The shops offer goods and services that are “in harmony with our planet”: recycled, refurbished, redesigned or locally sourced products.

The development of Egna’s brand identity is also in line with its sustainability strategy. It was created by the local design company by north, an ambitious and forward-looking studio that works under the motto “Big Impact with a Small Footprint”. For their corporate font, by north chose the upright styles of the eccentric McQueen Display by Fontwerk.

In their brand manual, the designers point out the strong contrasts and the whimsical ink traps of the McQueen letters, which underline the family’s craftsmanship: Each letter is an original, with small traces of use, so to speak. This formal character of the typeface fits seamlessly with the philosophy of the Egna mall. Its logo is set in Nocturno Display by Typotheque, with a specially designed lowercase g in the Nordic style, i.e. with a shortened descender.

Everett by Nolan Paparelli in use for the new identity of Helgeland Museum.

From the project description by north™:

Helgeland Museum is a regional museum located in the southern part of Nordland, Norway. The museum manages and preserves natural and cultural collections and buildings, including Sami heritage. The museum also communicates and educates about natural and cultural heritage, history and current issues through its exhibitions and events, in its own venues and other locations. Helgeland Museum was in need of a fresh and modern visual identity that would both honor their rich history and cultural heritage and appeal to a modern audience. Working closely with the museum, we crafted a flexible branding system that seamlessly blends tradition with innovation. The new identity is anchored by the redesigned version of the ancient rock carving “Skiløperen” from Tro in Nordland. This powerful symbol represents the museum’s mission to bring the past to life and connect it with the present and future. The visual identity seamlessly combines the shapes and lines of the carving with a clean and minimalist design, capturing the museum’s unique blend of nature and culture. The system also allows for multiple departments and collections within the museum to be represented in a cohesive way. By making the content the hero and positioning the museum as a modern and dynamic sender, we were able to achieve the museum’s goal of modernizing their brand and communication.

From design agency by north:

Snekkerfabrikken is a small, family run carpenter studio situated on the small island of Indre Kvarøy. Established by Oswald Olsen in 1954, it is now run by the second and third generation of the family. Starting out as a full-service carpenter, producing everything from furniture to windows and doors, Snekkerfabrikken has over the years focused their skills on building bespoke staircases for new and old buildings, with a deep passion for sustainable craftmanship and innovation.

We were tasked with reimagining their brand to better communicate their skills and their hands-on approach to producing beautiful staircases of all styles, as well as their sustainable approach to their craft. Our goal was also to turn their website into a practical tool for customers, making the process of ordering a staircase smoother and less intimidating.

We built the identity around a bespoke logotype and a color palette inspired by Indre Kvarøys nature paired with a clear, timeless sans-serif typeface and a set of geometric, simplified icons.

The typefaces used are Nib and Resist Sans.

Homepage (detail)

KPB is a consulting firm with a diverse team of specialist in the fields of business development, innovation and analytics. They work with a broad range of clients from start-ups to Norway’s largest companies. By North was commissioned to design a new identity for KPB that could reflect their competence and position as a market leader in their field.

We built the identity around the concept of partnership, reflected in the ampersand used in the logotype. As well as being the building block for the logotype, Parabole Display is used in headlines to emphasize keywords. Combined with Leitura it creates a playful and modern language without compromising legibility and content. The color palette is sparse, but warm and inviting and underscores KPB’s desire to work together with their clients and form lasting partnerships.

Nordic Blu is a new Norwegian premium brand of salmon which just had its debut at Seafood Expo North America in Boston. Nordic Blu is “the world’s first and only marine net-pen farmed Atlantic salmon rated ‘Green — Best Choice’ by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch®.” — Clean Fish

Designed by north™, using Lausanne by Nizar Kazan.