Bielke&Yang helps Matre cut through the Norwegian furniture scene with a confident visual voice

Vatne Møbler is a name that rings a bell for anyone interested in Norwegian furniture. The small but traditional furniture maker’s story is imbued with a rich legacy. For decades, it has been producing high-quality, evergreen furniture that’s known for its craftsmanship and use of the choicest materials. The news of the manufacturer’s shutdown inspired the launch of the furniture brand Matre. “Matre aims to carry forward this legacy and reinvigorate the Norwegian design scene by embracing the rich heritage of Vatne, breathing fresh life into their iconic pieces of the past,” says Steven Redwood, Designer at Bielke&Yang, who were invited to design the brand’s identity. “They are working closely with the original manufacturers, taking over several of the products that have been in Vatne Møbler’s collection previously and reissuing them for a modern audience.” As such, Matre’s look had to do two things – capture the history from which it was born, but also be poised to tell the story of what the brand is today and the kind of future it intends to build. To help it do so, the team decided to take a typographic approach. “The scale of this project was not very big, so from a pretty early stage, we decided to keep the brand elements to a minimum, utilising type for the wordmark, rather than creating a symbol for the brand,” Designer Sofie Platou tells us. “This was also a conscious choice for us – to create a timeless, yet still visually strong brand. It was important that the type imbued confidence, and felt self-assured; it needed to stand tall and mirror the strengths and capabilities of Matre’s products, but also remain humble enough to leave space when needed.” The team decided to set the wordmark in Pressio by Signal Type Foundry, opting for a condensed version. When seen within the brand world, the typeface is assertive and yet not arrogant, which was something the team was mindful of. “Pressio has a charm about it, with its square counters and modular forms. It almost feels like a slight nod to the past, hinting at factory labels, and transportation signage from the mid-20th century, prioritising function, form and letter space,” says Platou. “That being said, it still maintains a fresh and modern edge to it, with its refined curves and variety in widths. It’s this unique tension between form and counterform that we were most intrigued about.”