Studio Oker’s inviting identity for UX design studio Okse is rooted in character and country

Found in Stavanger, Norway, independent multi-industrial UX design studio Okse keep the personable at the front of their practice – excelling at what they do and forming lasting working relationships along the way. In an effort to greater express the friendliness and personality of their studio, Okse called on similarly named, and similarly addressed, Stavanger-based design agency Studio Oker to refresh their identity. The result is a charming, illustrative and typographically focused brand that is far from prescripted; rooting itself conceptually within the land and the bull. The land in question is Jæren, “a large flat lowland area in Norway where Okse is located,” Baard Kolstad, Partner at Studio Oker explains, “it is one of the most important agricultural areas of Norway, known for its rough climate and its hard-working, straight forward and stubborn farmers.” With the adage of both the farmer and the ox having a good life due to the good soil, Okse aims to metaphorically distil this into the company; both internally and in the exterior brand. Starting with their namesake bull (which is ‘Okse’ in Norweigian), Studio Oker approached this by creating some literally, punctual horns constructed of parentheses – both signifying the bull as well as utilising the coding-based language of web development. The typeface chaperoning this symbol is Commercial Type’s Dignitas; a stark and sharp serif typeface, who’s acute construction is similarly indicative of horns, as well as providing a beautiful concoction of playful expression and scholarly refinement.