Navigate and Create
Client
Canoe
Deliverables
Naming
Brand Platform
Visual identity
Art direction
Illustration
Year
2023
Credits
Canoe is a new design and innovation studio in Norway, working across strategy, service, digital, and organizational design. Creating valuable solutions through insight, collaboration, and meticulous execution, they believe in design’s power to navigate and shape the future.
Together with the Canoe team we developed their new name, brand platform, and visual identity.
Navigating the unknown
The name “Canoe” is a metaphor for the creative process – navigating challenges and shaping the future together through design. The visual identity, grounded in the proverb “be like water,” is adaptable for both corporate and creative contexts.
The bespoke logotype comes in two variations for flexibility and playfulness in use.
Inspired by the flow of a river, the design features water-like curves that reflect both nature and the studio’s ambition to navigate and create.
Color
Deep blue and white were chosen as primary colors for their reliable qualities and to reflect the concept of water.
They are complemented by a secondary palette of warmer tones, providing contrast while keeping the overall design grounded and cohesive.
Setting the mark for a positive journey, together.
Logo symbol
The logo symbol for Canoe is simple and playful, designed to be seen as either a smiley face or two people traveling together in a canoe, symbolizing collaboration and positive energy.
A typeface to embody the craftsmanship, durability, and quirky beauty of traditional canoe building.
Typography
Caslon Doric is a typeface rich in character, featuring modulated strokes and curves. Originally designed as bold capital letters, it stands out with its hook-like curves and angled and flared terminals.
Illustrations inspired by the concept of navigating water.
Illustration
Togheter with illustrator Waldemar Stepien, we developed an organic and playful illustration style.
