Oh Yeah Studio’s custom typeface for Nike, Oslo draws from the city's famous running track

For a redesign of its Oslo store, Nike commissioned local graphic designer Hans Christian Øren, founder of Oh Yeah Studio, to convey the city in a typeface. Aiming to balance the visual languages of Nike, sports and Norway’s capital, the project saw Hans get away from his desk and into the city. “My approach was hands-on,” he describes. “To really understand how to do this, I had to get out. I couldn’t find that behind a screen – I had to use my senses and feel the city. Once I went outside it triggered my creativity. The best thing was to experience Oslo in a new way, walking around and re-experiencing Oslo, my perception of it changed and evolved.”

After much research and development of a theme, which Hans refers to as “lines of sport”, he found inspiration in Bislett Stadium. “Bislett has a central place in Oslo’s history as an international venue for sports and public festivals,” Hans explains, so he has used the characteristic lines of the running track as a basis for the letterforms. This gave him a device to channel both Nordic minimal expression and Nike values, he says. “Some say it has the looks of the Mexico Olympics with a twist, and I’m not unhappy with that.”

Through sketches and development, Hans played around with the shapes of the running track and how the lines could match together in a multitude of ways. He experimented with line thickness, angles and various forms, trying to find a system that worked for all the characters in the font. “Some shapes or angles just work for “o” for example, not “m” and “w” so that’s a process in itself,” says Hans, “but I felt the concept was solid, so I was positive it could work.”

The typeface has now been rolled out across the store, used in logos, posters and graphics, and emblazoned on walls and installations.