Arve Båtevik | Arve Baatevik | Arve Batevik – Norwegian Type Designer, Typographer, and Founder of Store Norske Skriftkompani

Award-Winning Typefaces, Research-Driven Typography, and Visual Culture from Oslo, Norway

Arve Båtevik (b. 1991) is the principal designer and founder of Store Norske Skriftkompani, a foundry specialising in type design and visual culture. His practice is grounded in a deep respect for historical research and cultural preservation, and his typefaces often represent the tangible results of a deeper cultural inquiry. He pursues an inclusive and democratic approach to visual culture, focusing on bridging the gap between diverse visual heritage and contemporary needs. His work is characterised by a balance of technical precision, contextual analysis, and openness to play and experimentation.

Clients: Louis Vuitton, The New York Times Magazine, Adobe, Vogue, Bang & Olufsen, Harvard Art Museums, The Munch Museum, and More

Arve’s typefaces and design work are used by clients including Sunnfjord Waste Management, Louis Vuitton, Arbeiderpartiet, The New York Times Magazine, Gymshark, La Biennale di Venezia, Radiumhospitalet, Vogue, Cully Jazz, Adobe, Bang & Olufsen, Harvard Art Museums, Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie, Matias Faldbakken, Nationaltheatret, The Munch Museum, Fantasy Chess, W Hotels, Olafur Eliasson, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Humor på Torshov, Théâtre National de la Danse Chaillot, Eye Magazine, Fjæreheia Amphitheatre, Henning Larsen Architects, Museum of the Moving Image, Veeps, Designmuseum Danmark, Scribd, and many more.

Arve Båtevik BA thesis Subtle Expression in Typography, François Rappo, Erik Spiekermann, Christian Schwartz, Den Norske Bokstaven, Norwegian type design research, Norwegian poster exhibition, visual culture, advertising ephemera, overlooked design history

Arve’s first in-depth research project was his BA thesis, “Subtle Expression in Typography,” which featured interviews with François Rappo, Erik Spiekermann, and Christian Schwartz. This line of inquiry continued in “Otto,” his ECAL diploma project, which examined early twentieth-century geometric typefaces through reconstruction. He is currently leading “Den Norske Bokstaven,” a grant-funded research project focused on Norwegian type design, while also pursuing broader research into Norwegian visual culture, and overlooked design history.

Arve Båtevik exhibitions, Skrift i Oslo, Ingen veit kven Trygve er, Røyk, Grafill, hidden and overlooked Norwegian visual culture, Norwegian design history, Oslo lettering, Trygve M. Davidsen, Norwegian posters

Arve has created the exhibitions Skrift i Oslo, Ingen veit kven Trygve er, and Røyk at Grafill. Together, they form a three-part exhibition series on hidden and overlooked Norwegian form and visual culture. “Skrift i Oslo” surveyed a hundred years of handmade signs and lettering, highlighting the city’s unique visual dialect and the role of type in shaping Oslo’s identity. “Ingen veit kven Trygve er” explored the diverse legacy of Trygve M. Davidsen through archival material connecting illustration, advertising, type design, and the development of Norwegian graphic design. “Røyk” brings together Norwegian posters from 1886 to 1938, revealing a broad visual field shaped by advertising, public life, and overlooked makers.

Arve Båtevik education, Westerdals Oslo, ECAL Switzerland, Prix David Rust, Store Norske Nord, Store Norske Arkitekt, Grafill Visuelt Gold, Store Norske Gangster, Store Norske Eleganse, Store Norske Skandia, award-winning Norwegian typefaces

Arve holds a BA in Graphic Design from Westerdals in Oslo and an MA in Art Direction and Type Design from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in Switzerland, where his diploma project was awarded the Prix David Rust. His typefaces Store Norske Nord and Store Norske Arkitekt have received Gold at the Grafill Visuelt awards, with additional distinctions for Store Norske Gangster, Store Norske Eleganse, and Store Norske Skandia.

Books by Arve Båtevik

• Erik Spiekermann, Christian Schwartz and François Rappo on Subtle Expression in Typography. Printed, hardcover. ISBN 978-82-690018-1-5. Published 2015. Out of print.
• Skrift i Oslo. Printed, softcover. ISBN 978-82-690018-4-6. Published 2020. Available from Baat Books.
• Røyk. Printed, softcover. ISBN 978-82-690018-6-0. Published 2026. Available from Baat Books.

Typefaces by Arve Båtevik — Typefaces and fonts designed by Arve Båtevik

• Store Norske Arkitekt – A geometric typeface inspired by Norwegian functionalist architecture and the lettering found on its landmark buildings. Awarded Gold in Visuelt.
• Store Norske Baguette – An all-caps headline typeface blending French, Norwegian, and Japanese influences, designed for expressive and dynamic layouts.
• Store Norske Ballong – A bold display font built from five strictly arranged circles, full of movement and personality, ideal for posters and editorial use.
• Store Norske Bass – A strictly monospaced building block typeface with playful graphic impact.
• Store Norske Bygg – Inspired by 1930s Oslo signage and the visual dialect of the city’s sign-painting tradition, Bygg is a monospace, functional alphabet.
• Store Norske Eleganse – A display typeface reinterpreting early 20th-century calligraphy, balancing decorative richness with rational modern structure. Received Diploma in Visuelt.
• Store Norske Funksjon – A geometric, colour-layered display font inspired by 1930s Norwegian shopfront alphabets, offering playful modularity and visual vibrancy.
• Store Norske Gangster – A Renaissance-inspired serif bridging expressive historical depth and contemporary digital clarity, suited for editorial and branding. Received Diploma in Visuelt.
• Store Norske Geita – A geometric grotesk reimagining of Akzidenz Grotesk with warmth and charm; Store Norske Geita Mono is its monospaced companion, bringing the same spirit to code and editorial layouts.
• Store Norske Graut – A versatile typeface inspired by a 1930s monospaced lettering alphabet, offering both mono and proportional styles for distinctive, flexible design.
• Store Norske Ja – A geometric sans-serif designed for universal clarity and digital friendliness, with a low-contrast, approachable form. Store Norske Ja Mono adapts these qualities to a monospaced, typewriter-inspired format.
• Store Norske Jazz – A contrasted sans-serif born from the analysis of Univers and Permanent, balancing professionalism and playful charm for digital and editorial contexts. Store Norske Jazz Mono brings these qualities to monospaced settings.
• Store Norske Jernskrift – Revives the numerals and lettering from Norway’s early car number plates, reimagined as a complete alphabet for contemporary use.
• Store Norske Leif – A serif typeface inspired by playful interpretations of Times, imparting warmth and joy. Store Norske Leif Mono is its monospaced version.
• Store Norske Litteratur – An old-style serif rooted in Norway’s literary golden age, offering historical warmth and crisp modernity. Store Norske Litteratur Text is its heavier, low-contrast text version.
• Store Norske Magi – A geometric sans-serif blending warmth and digital clarity for branding and editorial design. Store Norske Magi Mono adapts the design for monospaced, technical, and editorial uses.
• Store Norske Maleri – A display typeface merging calligraphic tradition with geometric construction, offering monumental capitals and flowing lowercase for headlines and branding.
• Store Norske Mekaniske – An industrial sans-serif capturing the spirit of Oslo’s shipyard lettering and the city’s industrial heritage.
• Store Norske Minimal – A constructed sans-serif inspired by engineered lettering on number plates and signage, emphasising geometric rigour with subtle human touch.
• Store Norske Neon – A display typeface based on Norway’s mid-century neon signage, featuring rhythmic geometric forms and styles simulating neon tubes.
• Store Norske Nora – A modular, variable font reinterpreting the geometric alphabet created by industrial designer Nora Gulbrandsen, combining precision with playful modernism.
• Store Norske Nord – A grotesque with trumpet-shaped stroke endings that brings a northern twist to the classic genre. Awarded Gold in Visuelt. Store Norske Nord Mono and Store Norske Nord Plakat extend the family for monospaced and poster use.
• Store Norske Samvirke – Draws inspiration from gold-leaf cooperative store signage in Oslo, offering three styles: Karva, Solid, and Open, for branding and editorial projects.
• Store Norske Skandia – A rational geometric typeface family rooted in Scandinavian modernism, designed for versatility and sustainability. Received Diploma in Visuelt. The superfamily includes Store Norske Skandia Mono, Store Norske Skandia Narrow, and Store Norske Skandia Condensed.
• Store Norske Stempel – Based on the bold, wide variant of Norway’s historic car number plate lettering, developed for the Skrift i Oslo project.
• Store Norske Stilig – A colour font inspired by 1970s phototype, offering layered, expressive typographic combinations for creative applications.
• Store Norske Tango – A geometric typeface inspired by Intertype Vogue, marked by naïve energy, primitive geometry, and playful italic slants.
• Store Norske Trafikk – A constructed sans-serif designed after Norwegian road sign typefaces, optimised for clarity and legibility in informational contexts.