We have a warm, cosy feeling about the new cultural branding for Bar Hygge
Engine Creative’s favourite new bar opened it’s Scandinavian influenced doors to the public this week
From the designer chairs to the warm and decidedly cosy environment, Bar Hygge (pronounced ‘hooga’) is right up our street (or Guildhall Road to be more precise) and we are proud to have played our part in bringing the Danish dream to life with the brand development of this new cultural beacon of warmth and refinement.
Having previously worked on the brand development of the hugely successful Errol Flynn Filmhouse, we joined forces once again with the Royal & Derngate team behind Bar Hygge to think again about cultural branding for this very Danish bar in the heart of England. For those that don’t know, the Danish word ‘hygge’ is said to be impossible to describe in English but a spokesman from Bar Hygge gives it a fairly good go here:
“It sits somewhere between warmth and comfort, cosiness and friendship, making the most of every moment, away from worries. We wanted to borrow some of that and bring it to Northampton.”
Cultural branding of distinction
So, once we knew what ‘hygge’ is all about, we immersed ourselves in Danish culture and the amazing Scandinavian design aesthetic to develop an understated cultural brand for a beautifully refined bar experience. The resulting logo is a combination of clean and simple typography framed by a strong key line which is broken to display the ‘bar’ in the corner; a visual reflection of the location of Bar Hygge.
The logo itself is used sparingly, with a complementary hop mark used more extensively inside the venue underpinning Bar Hygge’s vision to find the best, quality craft beers available.
Supporting creative and cultural industries
This latest design collaboration is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the development of creative and cultural activity in Northampton. In addition to help bringing the Errol Flynn Filmhouse brand to life and providing design and technical resources to NN Contemporary Art, we have a director on the strategy board of the government funded economic growth through creative and cultural industries initiative for Northamptonshire and are actively working with local partners to promote related initiatives.
This wider commitment to supporting economic growth through creative and cultural industries is echoed by Chief Executive of Royal & Derngate, Martin Sutherland:
“The success of the Errol Flynn Filmhouse has proved that there is an appetite for a wider variety of leisure and cultural activities in the town centre. I hope that this new development will make a positive contribution to the night-time economy, offering a welcoming environment for people to enjoy a few drinks with friends and colleagues in the Cultural Quarter.”
The new kid on the cultural block is definitely a great addition to the town, bringing a touch of Danish elegance to Northampton’s Cultural Quarter. If you love great beer, great company and great design then we’d highly recommend spending an evening (or three) at Bar Hygge.
