National broadcaster NRK frequently tops the lists of the most recognised brands in Norway. By 1999, the multi-channel universe had arrived in Norway and NRK realised it had to brush up its act to keep a new and younger audience on side - research showed the channel appeared as somewhat aloof and conservative. Having been appointed as their branding agency, we reasoned that as the logo was so well known, we could reduce the identity to the single punkt (dot) that lay at it’s heart and use this as the main identifier across the whole brand.
Ten years later the ‘dot’ has performed in many different ways and taken on many different roles across today’s cross-platform environment. Each channel ‘owns’ a brand colour, and we incorporated these into the ‘dot’ icon which appears alongside the NRK logotype.
This new system became the starting point for a series of new idents we created for NRK’s flagship channel, NRK1.
We realised the NRK ‘dot’ icon as a physical property – a blue ball – universal and everyday. The blue sphere was filmed in a range of Norwegian environments over the course of summer and winter, and feature varied locations and casts that reflect Norway’s modern multicultural society.
Set to beautifully composed music, the idents are warm and engaging and establish that all important emotional connect with the viewers. Some are simple, bringing the magic of everyday life into focus whilst some involved highly complex shoots. A particular favourite shows the sphere racing down Norway’s famous Holmenkollen, the worlds’ most modern ski jump. The shoot was technically challenging but the resulting ident, produced with a combination of live action, stop frame and special effects, is breathtaking.
