Cinemateket
In 2017, Snøhetta was commissioned by the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI) to design the new visual identity and website for Cinemateket, the Norwegian cinematheque. The new identity is based on a concept of enlightenment, echoing Cinemateket's historic mission of making film history accessible to a wider public – a mission that goes back to the pre-war years of 1930’s France.
From the great classics of “auteurs” such as Godard, Fellini, or Fassbinder, to alternative, contemporary films from all over the world, Cinemateket’s carefully curated screenings places the film medium in a wider, societal context. Snøhetta's helps fulfill this mission through the design of a multifunctional website and a unique graphic profile that pays tribute to the film industry.
See the project live at cinemateket.no
Optimizing the User Experience
Together with Værsågod, Snøhetta has developed Cinemateket’s new website. The site functions dually as a ticket booking system and information portal. Værsågod has developed the booking system, Snøhetta has designed the interface and user experience of the site. The site is kept predominantly black with white typography.
The new website has helped increase the number of tickets sold online, and has led to an almost doubling in the amount of new and renewed memberships to Cinemateket.
Highlighting Expertise
The website offers a frictionless user experience and places great emphasis on high quality content. The primary role of the website’s design is to create an easy-to-navigate and responsive site where visitors can delve into the filmic universe – be it to book upcoming screenings, to learn more about how 70 mm films are made, or to explore details of a specific director or film era.
By allowing the curators of Cinemateket to easily share their knowledge of the film media through self-published micro-blogs, the website has an almost encyclopedic approach to film and film history. It is here Cinemateket’s enlightenment mission truly manifests itself – in the intersection between film, imagery, commentary and thorough storytelling.
A Tribute to the Film Industry
The new visual identity comprises a holistic tool kit consisting of a logo, typography, stationary templates and specially designed merchandise. In their own distinctive way, these elements are all a tribute to the film industry, to its history and connotations.
The new logo is inspired by a crossing between the typography of and old-school typewriter, echoing the visual expression of the classic film manuscript, and the vertical letters of film theatre signage. Moreover, the typography is a tribute to how credits are visualized on contemporary film posters.
Cinemateket’s color palette is developed around a deep, red color. The colors are derived from the classic Red Green Blue (RGB) color model scheme, which is essential in the interpretation and representation of color in films. This intense red color leaves nothing to chance. It is just as much a nod to the red chairs and curtains of Cinemateket’s theatres as the red painted walls of its reception area.
The purple color is exclusively used in relation to Barnas Cinematek, Cinemateket’s specially curated film program for children.
Barnas Cinematek presented as a full gate fold
Full schedule exposed inside the cover fold
