Kulttuuritalo: Landmark reimagined

The venue’s multi-purpose nature was both a strength and a complexity. With spaces ranging from a grand concert hall to an intimate club, a bistro, and a congress center, the brand needed to unify all this into one cohesive identity. So Kultsa could stand out in Helsinki’s busy cultural scene, where both historic institutions and contemporary venues vie for attention. We set out to create a brand that felt both familiar and progressive, one that would resonate with longtime visitors while attracting new cultural and commercial crowds.

The process began with a deep dive into Kulttuuritalo’s illustrious history, architecture, and continuous presence in the city. Through workshops and research, three core values emerged as the foundation for the brand: perceptive, fearless, and open. At the heart of the rebrand was the idea of Kulttuuritalo as an iconic space that continues to exist in the moment, where unforgettable collective experiences unfold. This concept was captured in the phrase "yhdessäelettyä" (together-lived-experiences, yes, in Finnish we create new words by piling them together). This became both the brand’s promise and a defining theme for its tone.

The new identity blends Aalto’s influence with contemporary energy. The color palette and typography draw inspiration from the house, its era, and Alvar Aalto’s design principles. Heritage tones are balanced with vibrant contemporary hues, while typography, inspired by Aalto’s original sketches, connects the brand to its architectural lineage. The symbol features a capital K with a vertical T embedded, referencing Kulttuuritalo’s monograms. Its strokes also echo the curved grandstand in the building’s Aalto Hall.

Recognizing the venue’s diverse functions, the brand system stretches elegantly beyond Kulttuuritalo itself. Sub-brands were developed for Kult Club and Sopu Bistro, each with a distinct yet connected name and identity. The Kult arrow, in its shape and structure, builds upon the same elements as the Kulttuuritalo symbol—carefully placing them within the same visual family. The elastic identity system ensures that every aspect of the venue—from large-scale concerts to intimate dining experiences and throbbing club nights—feels like part of the same cohesive yet unique world.