Musiikkitalo, known in English as the Helsinki Music Centre, is a concert hall and cultural venue in central Helsinki. Its visual identity was created by the Finnish design agency Hahmo Design Oy, with creative director Pekka Piippo leading the project. The logo and visual identity were unveiled on 12 August 2008, several years before the building itself opened in 2011. [1] [2]
Design and History
The Musiikkitalo logo consists of a large letter “M” at the centre, surrounded by a multi-layered ring formed by small dots. The mark was selected through a competitive tender process conducted under EU procurement rules, with twelve agencies competing. Hahmo Design won the assignment. [3]
The logo contains 151 distinct colours, a detail the designers said reflected the venue’s purpose of serving the whole public. Creative director Pekka Piippo described the mark as representing a campfire circle made up of different colours, symbolising the unity of different musical styles and genres gathered in one ring. [3] The dots were also described as depicting different people who have gathered together to listen to music performed by others. [1]
At the time of the launch, Musiikkitalo’s director Helena Hiilivirta said the organisation deliberately avoided a logo that depicted the building itself, wanting instead a visual identity that conveyed the venue’s diverse activities and its openness to everyone. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The official description of the logo, as published by Musiikkitalo, states that the dots represent a group of people gathered together as if around a campfire. The concentric circles also denote sound waves travelling through space. [5] The Finnish-language version of the same description adds that the rings resemble receding sound waves or fireworks. [6]
The brand colour chosen for Musiikkitalo was turquoise, which Hahmo’s designers said suited the maritime environment of Töölönlahti bay in Helsinki. [1] The colour was also described as “oxidised copper”. [2] In printed materials, pins and other visual material, shades of bronze, turquoise and brown were used. [7]
Typography and Design
Musiikkitalo’s official brand guidelines, published in 2019, confirm that the copyright for the logo belongs to Hahmo Design Oy. The guidelines also state that the logo may not be altered or used in ways that deviate from the graphic manual without permission from the copyright holder. [8]
In 2018, Pekka Piippo designed a separate new visual identity for the Helsinki Music Centre Foundation, a body that promotes and maintains live music culture mainly at the venue. That project was completed during Piippo’s time at Hahmo. [9]
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