In their own words
We want guidelines to motivate and inspire rather than feel like rigid rules.
Historically, the school has been closed off and is almost a mythical place in Copenhagen, with a very limited number of students and rigorous admission enquiries.
With the new strategy, the school is opening to the public with events, a film club curated by students, masterclasses and much more. We strived to make an identity system that is flexible enough to contain all of those needs while staying true to the curious spirit of the school.
To keep things simple and easy to work with we use one typography and one weight.
The type is called Reply and was made by Kasper Pyndt.
One of the goals of the visual identity was to create an inviting and colourful identity. The colour profile has a technical expression. Combined with the squared modular layout system, we have a lot of flexibility to make unique expressions that are still coherent and feel contemporary.
Articles & interviews2
- Presented by Brandpad: how to create successful brand guidelines, with Koto, Barkas and SDG
The article, part of The Finishing Line series presented by Brandpad, explores how leading studios Koto, Barkas, and Scandinavian Design Group approach the creation of effective digital brand guidelines. Designers and directors from each studio discuss accessibility, audience consideration, and the shift from static PDFs to dynamic, interactive platforms like Brandpad. The conversation emphasizes clarity, storytelling, and adaptability as key to maintaining living, evolving brand systems.
- Barkas refreshes Danish National Film School identity
Barkas refreshed the Danish National Film School's identity to support a more public-facing strategy while retaining the institution's established character. The Copenhagen and Stockholm creative company developed a colourful bilingual modular system, pairing screen-like formats and editing-software-inspired colours with Reply, a restrained sans serif by Kasper Pyndt.