When setting out designing the logo for Copenhill's visual identity, immediately (and obviously) I was drawn to the building's shape. This is an obvious direction to choose however Copenhill will become a landmark in not only Copenhagen but the whole of Denmark and will, therefore, become one of Copenhagen's biggest tourist attractions. It is therefore important to design a logo that will stand the test of time and one thing that will definitely not change with passing trends is the shape of the building. Going down the routes such as typographic will still be an option when making the logotype, but first I want to explore different ways the logo could be formed by taking inspiration from the building itself.
Stand out features of the building include: it's shape, the texture of the outer wall and material it is built from, the chimney which blows a ring of steam every 1,000 tonnes of gas is burnt.
Diagrams of the building show its size and structure.
Looking at logos that have previously taken inspiration from structural engineering. Snohetta is a design studio in Oslo who specialise in architecture and branding. Looking at many of their projects and their own logo was a good source of inspiration. Key words from the project are that it's an urban mountain and a beacon in showing the world utopian possibilities therefore I want the design to exude a modern and futuristic appearance.
Studying current design trends for logos I discovered that grid based logos, experimental typography and incorporating architecture was very popular at the moment pictured above on Gowanus Inn & Yard and Struktura identity design. The lines which compose the typographic letters of the MOAA logo become the grid itself, another element that could be applied to the branding of Copenhill.
Feedback
Q) Is using the building shape for a logo too obvious?
A) It is quite obvious and could also become dated. Using a more ambiguous version of the shape like when looking side on would be a better route to play around with and take forward, making the shape less obvious.
Development
Typography
The first route I took was looking at Typography designed in Denmark such as the work of Play studio.
What sets Danish typography apart?
“Typography design is a unique discipline because the object is so laden with meaning. During the last decade, typography has become tremendously globalized as designers increasingly share their work digitally. Still, Danish typefaces always stand apart, exemplifying the Danish design philosophy “form follows function.”
Agita Bold
Geometric Bold
Willumsen Bold
In my mind, I envisioned a typeface with a low cap height and x-height to resemble elements within the architecture such as the rectangular windows/gaps on the building's facade. This 'squashed' look would compliment and contract against the height of the building.
Combining these two elements I looked into fonts similar to this designed in Copenhagen which is where I found the work of Morten Rostgaard Olsen (born 1964). A graphic designer, type architect, living and working in Copenhagen. After five years studying at The Danish School of Art and Design, he now runs a design studio where he supplies solutions for corporate design and typefaces. He’s also teaching and consulting. Among his clients at home and abroad is The Danish Ministry of Education in Copenhagen, the first user of his font FF Olsen.
His font head looks extrmeley similar to the one used by formula 1. 'Architectural yet human, as if the letter forms had been delicately carved in stone; their rounded stroke edges and corners lovingly eroded by the surf of the Baltic Sea; slightly overexposed, radiating comforting warmth, giving the impression one was looking at the characters against the setting sun.'
Colour Scheme
Copenhagen is famed for it's colourful painted houses therefore as the building on which Copenhill is situated is a muted silvery hue I thought an injection of colour from the branding would create a good contrast that was also reflective of the surrounding city. Taking inspiration from the classic colour coding of ski runs: green, blue, red and black I compiled a mood board of colour inspiration to inform the colour scheme.
Copenhill will feature only a blue, black and green ski run therfore this will be the colour scheme for the building. Eventually copenhill will be covered by a green wall as the plants in the building's exterior box planters start to grow. The building is also next to the see so this green, blue and glack colour scheme is perfectly compliments the geogrpahy of the building and its sight.
Initial Colour Scheme:
Finalised branding:
Not wanting to go fully black and white I created a duotone colour palette inspired by a vintage photograph from the 60’s, a time when the allure of skiing holidays first started to emerge. Copenhill is not only futuristic, it’s also one of the steps Copenhagen is taking to become the first carbon-neutral capital in the world. Therefore the green hues in the visual identity compliment the environmental aspects of the building and the brand.
Aiming to carry the futuristic, utopian vibe into all details of the design, the typeface chosen was FP Head Pro, a retro typeface made in Copenhagen by Danish designer Morten Rostgaard Olsen.
Using this typeface enabled the design to stay authentic as it was created in Copenhagen and therefore inspired by it’s surroundings, however looking at current design trends it is also highly fashionable at the moment meaning it will be in keeping with the stylish and futuristic nature of the ski resort.
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