Bielke&Yang welcome the material tactility on show at Norwegian Presence for its 2023 exhibition

Following their long-running collaboration with Norwegian Presence – a yearly showcase of the country’s best in design and manufacturing – Oslo-based studio Bielke&Yang have crafted the identity for its 2023 exhibition, marking the ninth year working together. “This year’s exhibitors are a fascinating blend of product designers, architects and makers,” Partner & Designer Evan McGuinness tells us, describing the overarching conceptual approach to 2023’s show brand, “who incorporate various techniques, new and traditional, in their processes” – a materiality which caught Bielke&Yang’s eye. “We highlighted their tactility by creating 3D scans of the objects themselves,” McGuiness explains, utilising them as defined yet abstract graphic elements. “Doing so can give visitors a teaser of what is to come in the physical space on digital surfaces,” he continues, noting, “the 3D scans also allow us to play with the juxtaposition and scale of the objects to reflect the variety on display at the exhibition.” Again demonstrating the long-standing collaborative nature of the project, Bielke&Yang have again partnered with type designer Bobby Nannam to expand on Norwegian Presence’s custom type catalogue, introducing a striking low-contrast italic to the existing Norwegian Presence Serif family. “We wanted to create an italic that would add a very noticeable level of identity to this year’s exhibition,” McGuiness recalls, “following a traditional style but with a contemporary edge,” pushing its structure to more unconventional typographic spaces whilst propping up an aesthetic contrast to the identity’s 3D scans. “Bobby had the idea to make it a 24-degree slant, which is quite extreme,” he details, “but it works beautifully and will be a great addition to the identity in future years too!”