Visual Identity for HeK Basel

New identity for House of electronic Arts Basel. With: Timm Häneke. Special Tag: Forever



Watch The Opening Trailer

HeK Opening Invitation

The new corporate identity stretches over different formats and media: From business equipment to signage system, website to printed matters, video trailer to sales gimmicks. Within a short time HeK got a new, bright, progressive face and could establish itself in Basel through high voltage public relation work / strong presence of the new logo.

HeK Logo / Use of Index Finger

HeK Website Design - so tablett


The opening campaign introduced the chameleon color concept, the smear-indexfinger as secondary visual key element, the play with two grotesque fonts... Along with the video trailer, which was shown at public spaces, HeK's re-launch was quite remarkable. Literally at the same time Ryoji Ikeda's poster design, which was obviously black/white, broke with high contrasts and showed the variety of HeK's design concept.

Opening! A6 Flyers

A5 Portfolio of HeK's past and future activities.

"Poetics and Politics of Data" publication of HeK

"Critical Make" Workshop Flyer

Monthly Programm Flyer

HeK spotted

Arte TV report about HeK

"Poetics and Politics of Data" Poster at Art Basel

HeK Art Basel Party Party

Used Tags

A new corporate identity for House of Electronic Arts Basel (HeK)


Task: Introducing the short term "HeK" (Haus der elektronischen Künste) to the public and create an unique brand in Basel, around, online. Background: New building, new corporate.

HeK: is the national competence center for discussions about technology, media and art. It particular aims to push a critical reflection on the use of media therefore offers an intense programm of art shows, lectures, workshops and performances.

H3K: is the proper equivalent to the mission statement of HeK. It generates a self-reflexive moment, attracts attention, looks flexible, though strong. "3" links to several cultural and local situations which fit perfectly too. The logo's viral power bridging the brand with its activities and self-conception.

“Where we spoken openly we have actually said nothing. But where we have written something in code and in pictures, we have concealed the truth...”
-- The Rosarium Philosophorum, 1550


Type Concept:
Two typefaces are used for the whole corporate. The logosign "H3K" is an edited version of Univers Extended (by Adrian Frutiger) which also appears in the design (see on the left). The main typeface is Neue Hass Grotesk, made only some kilometers away of HeK: in Münchenstein/Basel. Seen as the original Helvetica, NHG offers some rougher details, which makes it a bit more vivid.


Color Concept:
The principle of the chameleon gives HeK 3 colors to choose their colorcode/design from. The only rule is: Bright Red (main color) has to appear somehow in the design. For the first 2 years this colors were choosen: Neon Green, Violet and Bright Red.

Visual Key Element:
The index finger is the connecting point between human and technology. It appears here and then, distracts the viewer and adds another layer onto the design. #essential