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Oslo, the visual language of a city

Sector

Public

Municipality

Services

Brand identity

Type design

Design system

The City of Oslo and Creuna, now part of the Knowit Experience family, have developed a new, user-friendly identity that will make it easier for the Oslo municipality to communicate clearly and holistically with its residents. We developed a whole new design system, customisable with its' own font, shapes, colour palette and illustrations, available to everyone working in municipal services.

A photo of a forest with snow on the ground, three people are walking in the snow. The new Oslo logo is in the centre of the image, a white logo with a simplified image of Saint Halvard.
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Oslo is a completely transformed city compared to 30 years ago – but the municipality’s identity stayed the same, fragmented and scattered across their jurisdiction with a logo from 1924. The city operates various services that communicate with different target groups, with more than 250 variations of the logo in use. Together with Creuna, The City of Oslo developed a new, visually recognisable and user-friendly identity.

The old and new Oslo Municipalities - The old to the left, the new to the right.
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The Oslo Municipality shapes, a cube, a circle, an L, and the Oslo Municipality logo.
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The Oslo Municipality logo in black on a white concrete wall, with "Oslo" written in the Oslo Sans font.
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The new City of Oslo logo is based on Oslo's current city seal, designed in 1924. The representative drawing of St. Hallvard is simplified and modernised but still carries the same iconic story. The line weight and details were designed to work in all sizes – from smartphones to big signs.

More than 1,500 residents, representatives of the business community and large parts of Oslo's municipal enterprises were included in the work process. In several rounds, different groups considered the proposals in all stages, with other alternatives. Various solutions were tested along the way.

An advertisement board in a busy street. The board shows the Oslo Municipality design formula in yellow, with L-shapes and circles.
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From sober, authoritative communication to a lighthearted, playful style – and everything in between – the design opens for a full range of expression. The new visual identity is unified while simultaneously allowing flexibility in communication. Combining uniformity and flexibility ensures that municipal enterprises can easily apply the new identity while making it their own.

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Digital design assistant

We created the Oslo digital design assistant to reduce the barriers and costs of good design. Any City of Oslo agency employee can log into the online tool, input basic information, and have the device automatically generate a range of design layouts and options.

An animation examples of the Oslo Sans font, developed for the Oslo Municipality case. The font is simple and elegant, sans serif.
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Example of the Oslo Sans font, developed for the Oslo Municipality case. The font is simple and elegant, sans serif. Light blue text on a dark blue background.
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We developed Oslo Sans, a bespoke typeface for the project. Many generations of street signs in Oslo inspire Oslo Sans. The font adheres to universal design principles and is made with a utilitarian focus aiming to be functional and timeless yet distinct enough to be recognized.

The Oslo Municipality shapes in dark blue on bright blue background.
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Example of the Oslo Municipality design and illustrations in green and cyan. There are squares and circles with small illustrations of houses and people on bikes.
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A variety of the Oslo Municipality shapes in different sizes and compositions.
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The shapes, a result of forms found inside the symbol, abstractly refer to bodies often found in the cityscape. The three basic shapes may be assembled in infinite ways and are the essential components of the design system.


The identity colours are taken from Oslo's cityscape: blue from the iconic Oslo trams and the fjord; green from the parks, fields and Oslo's protected forests; warm and neutral colours inspired by the facades of the city's buildings.

Movement is also a central part of Oslo's identity. A dynamic motion pattern is defined, making the identity easily recognisable in various media formats.

Animation with an example of the Oslo Municipality design system on a laptop and a smartphone. The system allows you to play with shapes and colours within the Oslo Municipality Design Profile.
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Two examples of poster designs made in the Oslo Municipality Design Tool.
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Two examples of minimalist poster designs made in the Oslo Municipality Design Tool.
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An example of Oslo Municipality stationary, with the new logo and Oslo Sans font.
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Example of Oslo Municipality signage on an office wall.
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Two examples of advertising poster designs made in the Oslo Municipality Design Tool.
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Awards

CompetitionCategoryTypeYear
  • ADC AwardsBrand IdentityMerit2020
  • ADC AwardsBronze CubeFont2020
  • Communication ArtsIntegrated BrandingWinner2020
  • D&ADDesign TransformationWood Pencil2020
  • EDAwardsFontSilver2020
  • EDAwardsBrand IdentityFinalist2020
  • Fast Company's InnovationCitiesFinalist2020
  • Fast Company's InnovationGraphic DesignFinalist2020
  • The Innovation Prize for Universal DesignGraphic DesignWinner2020
  • The One ShowBrand IdentityMerit2020
  • Transform Awards NordicsBest place or nation brandGold2020
  • VisueltIdentity DesignGold2020
  • VisueltIdentity – MotionGold2020
  • VisueltSpatial DesignDiploma2020
  • VisueltFontDiploma2020
  • VisueltOpen CategoryDiploma2020
  • Clio AwardsVisual IdentityShortlist2019
  • DOGA AwardsAward for Design and ArchitectureWinner2019
  • EurobestBrand IdentityShortlist2019
  • GullblyantenIdentityDiploma2019
  • Red Dot AwardsVisual IdentityBest of the Best2019