Helsinki Social Runners

A logotype for Helsinki Social Runners, a social running group based in — surprise, surprise! — Helsinki.

I started with 1972 Summer Olympics, 80's and 90's game console packaging, Alien vs. Predator and Hort's Nike work in mind. More specifically, I was inspired by Otl Aicher's iconic pictograms for the Olympics as well as the futurism of Sega Megadrive, Nintendo and Warp Records.

The logotype will be accompanied by text, so I could compromise some on the legibility. I wanted the letterforms to be vague enough so that especially seen in motion, worn by someone running by, the reader couldn't always be sure if they saw a sports pictogram or something they're supposed to read.

Getting the curves and the balance of the letters right took a surprisingly long time. A type designer friend of mine, Eino Korkala, provided some super valuable feedback and tips.