Viti
An Identity for Individual Freedom and Collective Strength
2020–2021
Introduction
Rich with tradition, nature and crafts, the district of Sunnmøre is bountiful with museums, covering everything from furniture to fishery. To preserve the districts cultural history, heritage and art, the foundation Viti gathers 12 of these museums - all located in different places along the Norwegian West coast - under one shared umbrella organization. With an ambition to establish a strong, unified platform for the museums, Snøhetta was commissioned to develop a visual identity, website and new name for the foundation.
Technical details
Inspired by the uncompromising nature of the Norwegian West coast, navigation became a central theme in the project. As the lodesmen safely guides ships to shore, or as burning cairns were once used on mountain tops to communicate over a distance, the foundation guides its museum visitors to new experiences. Building on the concept of navigation, the foundation's name was changed from The Museums of Sunnmøre to Viti. Viti is Norse for "vete" - the Norwegian word for both a burning cairn and the verb "to know", embodying both the navigation through the cultural offerings of the area as well as their purpose to transmit knowledge.
Viti Monument Grotesk
Even the characters in the typeface can be seen from different angles. Monument Grotesk is used as the identity font, and a customized variable version of the font, dubbed Viti Monument Variable, was created by Dinamo. Here, all the characters rotate on their own axis to create a unique, expressive display font. The adaptability of the typography enables each museum to vary their own expression from classic Monument Grotesk to something more abstract, depending on the degree of rotation. This allows the museums to tailor their visual expression to the museum's nature and their visitors, while still staying true to the foundation's visual identity.
Viti's new website is created with the users in focus. It invites its visitors to explore the stories behind the museum and their exhibitions. The playfulness of the font and color palette comes alive through animations and contrasting pages, while the imagery gives it a documentary and natural expression.
Photo: Marius Beck Dahle
With its new name, website and visual identity, Viti has created a shared platform for its museums to grow both individually and as a group. Allowing for customization and flexibility, the museums are empowered to use their local know-how to best position their museums, while at the same time benefiting from the support from the other museums and Viti.
Photo: Marius Beck Dahle
Photo: Marius Beck Dahle
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