Store Norske Neon - Typeface based on Metall Standardbokstaver used by Norwegian sign makers, reflecting the visual language of neon signage.

Restaurant Skansen in Oslo, designed by Lars Backer (1927). Photograph: Mittet & Co / Oslo Museum.

About

Store Norske Neon is a typeface based on the Metall Standardbokstaver alphabet (Metal Standard Letters), used by sign makers at Neon Electric Limited AS. These sign makers used a character map and a suitcase with functioning pipes to showcase different neon colours, presenting potential letterforms and colour variations to clients. The alphabet included alternative characters for specific client needs. Distinctive holes in the letterforms served as entry and exit points for neon tubes. Elongated holes allowed tube loops to cover entire letters. In its digital form, this feature creates a rhythmic visual effect within the geometric structure of the typeface. During the mid-twentieth century, Neon Electric Limited AS was a leading supplier of neon signage in Norway, providing signs for major events and prominent buildings, including the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo and Deichmanske Bibliotek, the Oslo Main Public Library. The digital reinterpretation of the typeface was first developed as part of a lettering series for the Skrift i Oslo exhibition. Neon is available in four styles: one with the characteristic holes, one solid, one outline, and one inline. The inline and solid styles can be combined to simulate both the body of a sign and the neon tube. The neon tube colour can be customised to suit specific design requirements.

The Store Norske Neon Typeface font is designed by Arve Båtevik

Store Norske Neon is designed by Arve Båtevik.