Akateeminen

Akateeminen Kirjakauppa, the Academic Bookstore, is a Finnish bookstore chain founded in 1893. For over a century, they have been at the epicentre of academia, education and reading culture in Finland. Their flagship store, designed by Alvar Aalto, in the heart of Helsinki is an architectural landmark in itself.

With such an impressive legacy, Akateeminen was looking to reimagine its role to be a relevant, modern bookstore fit for the next generation of readers. Kallan was invited to refine the strategic story of the brand, and evolve the visual identity and website.

An old icon, for a new era

As part of the process it was important to unearth and acknowledge the history of Akateeminen and the legendary Helsinki Book Palace. Through archival research from the National Museum of Finland and the extensive Akateeminen archives, we sourced a series of pictures from the late 19th and 20th century. These revealed Akateeminen’s hidden and forgotten design hallmarks.

Our findings formed the basis for the future brand. The design language of the new logo borrows from the store signs of the 1950s. The decorative iconography is inspired by the carvings of the store’s furniture in the 1920s. These signature assets amplify the special equities built into the brand’s heritage, while elevating them with new meaning and a new story.

A catalyst for contemporary culture

With its long-standing commitment to reading and learning, Akateeminen (Finnish for academic) has become a household name, and flagship bookstore in Helsinki. A key strategic decision was to transition away from the ‘bookstore’ suffix, to focus fully on its core name ‘Akateeminen’. Part of a wider initiative elevating the brand story beyond a ‘bookstore’ to be a cultural destination in its own right.

The visual expression is accented by an ornamental typeface to help give Akateeminen a charismatic voice and reflect its uncommon personality. The colour palette centres around its refreshed legacy green, accompanied by a wide-range of secondary colours giving the brand a richer spectrum of moods and notes to play with. The elements all come together through a scalable brand expression that stretches across Akateeminen’s touch points — from wayfinding and print design to an elegant digital experience.

The evolution of Akateeminen was not about forgetting the old. Instead we focused on the assets that make this brand so special to tell a renewed story for a new era.

Credits

Archive photography The National Library of Finland