Graadi
Helsinki Type Studio · Niklas Ekholm, Juho Hiilivirta, Jaakko Suomalainen
A custom humanist sans designed for the city of Oulu's rebrand, characterised by gentle arcs, subtle stroke variation and softly opened inner corners that echo the city's own logo.
About
Commissioned through Luova Työmaa for Oulun kaupunki, Graadi was designed to give the city's visual identity a warm and human quality. Subtle variations in line thickness and slanted letter endings align it with the Oulu logo, while the replacement of sharp diagonals with gentle curves softens its overall tone. Custom symbols were also developed alongside the typeface to support broad civic communication.
Classification
A humanist sans-serif with subtle stroke contrast and slanted terminals, distinguished by gentle arcs in place of sharp diagonals and softly opened inner corners that give the design a warm, approachable character.