T4

Finding the new SN logotype

Many newspapers have, in addition to the full name at the top of the front page, another, shorter version of the name, which consists of two or three letters and is used in parallel with the full name. The newspaper Södermanlands Nyheter has taken a more radical approach and is now simply called SN, even at the top of the front page.

A4 was given the commission to design the new logotype consisting of the two letters. The logotype would present the trademark SN, which would convey the following ideas:

Proximity and happiness
Usefulness
Youth and modernity
Modernity in a classical way
The latest news

These were our thoughts on the keywords set out above as we created the new logotype:

Proximity and happiness:
To make a logotype that is associated with nearness and happiness we needed a base of openness and motion. The letter “s” has the shape of a zigzag motion, starting off in the lower left corner and moving up to the right, where it unites with the “n”. The little “n” has a functional shape that leads your thoughts to everyday life, closer to the idea of happiness than would be a more serious, capital-lettered shape.

Usefulness:
The clean and simple shapes of the two letters will give Södermanlands Nyheter the possibility of using the logotype in every conceivable way; in every shape, on every foundation, and in every context.

Youth and modernity:
The openness in the logotype’s s-shape comes from a modern sanserif typeface (shapes of letters that consist of thick and even lines without serifs) like Syntax, Frutiger, and Scala Sans. Syntax, moreover, is used as a headline typeface in the news sections of Södermanlands Nyheter. We also think that the common playfulness of the n-shape will lead the reader’s thoughts to the young and modern.

Modernity in a classic way:
The open, modern s-shape is at the same time the most classic shape. You can find it in the Roman inscription letters that originate from the time when Jesus was born. You can also see it in the first common letters, written in the early Middle Ages.
The same is true of the n-shape. It is based on shapes that originate from the uncial letters of the 5th century, from the Renaissance cursive letters of the 15th century, and from the “Egyptian letters” of the 19th century. The thick serif shapes are to be found in the newspapers Aftonbladet's and Le Figaro's logotypes, among others, and this shape has also appeared on the front page of Södermanlands Nyheter since 1890.

The latest news:
With the combination of a straight “s” and a cursive “n”, we wanted to give the logotype stability as well as a movement forward – something that would fit with the goal of providing the readers with the latest news.

2006-04-25