The Medium is the Message: NRK’s Visual Identity

McLuhan sees all types of media as technology and that it evolves and shapes the society through technological advancements – “we shape our tools and thereafter they shape us”.⁴ He also sees the world with a perspective that the society is “devolving” from individuals back to a “global tribal village” because of new mass media. With this he means that social life is changing into a disharmonic space of mutual surveillance where we all want constant feedback and fancy other people’s life and business ⁵ – meaning: the same as in a tribal village where people don’t live in privacy and as individuals. According to McLuhan, the media is like a vortex of energy. ⁶ It is constantly shaping us and for our own survival and wellbeing we must cling on and adapt with the electronic technological changes of mass media.

NRK’s visual identity

NRK is Norway’s biggest media and entertainment company with dozens of national broadcasted television and radio channels, its own on-demand streaming platform, and several websites and apps for news and entertainment services.⁷ In 1933 NRK was established as a state-owned firm with a monopoly on all radio, and later television, broadcasting rights in Norway.⁸ It wasn’t until the 80s that private media companies, both national and international, were granted the possibility to broadcast media to the Norwegian public. The modern technological advancements, with the internet, apps, streaming and social media, have forced NRK to adapt how they communicate their content to people and how their identity is shown on different platforms.⁹ NRK is still in 2025 a state-owned media company with an important social responsibility “to strengthen and develop Norway’s democracy, to promote Norwegian and Sámi language and culture, and to bring together and engage everyone that lives in Norway”.¹⁰

The visual identity of NRK has been redesigned several times through the company’s long and rich history. They redesigned their visual identity in 1999, and recently again in 2024, keeping the logo almost identical to the original logo designed by Ingolf Holme, first used in 1970.¹¹ With their new visual identity in 2024 they wanted to have a strong and precise identity that is unique and long lasting compared to trends and competitors.¹² Their goal is for the audience to meet NRK as a clear sender of media on NRK’s platforms. NRK must be available for everyone to use, and they have had a high focus on readability, contrasts and overall visual design. The visual language is based on the original logo and is alive, playful and adaptive. NRK is a guarantor of developing and preserving Norwegian democracy by being an arena for public debate and viewing information, knowledge and entertainment to the entire Norwegian population.¹³

Analysis: National identity as a medium

According to McLuhan, media is a powerful medium where the form of it as a communicator has a deeper meaning and impact on the society than the message itself. It can be argued that the visual identity of NRK is the main communicator and therefore influences the Norwegian population. The visual identity is not just for decoration, but a part of how NRK communicates their social important role for the society. NRK’s identity functions as a medium that conveys clarity, neutrality, trust, and reliability for their audiences – the same values a modern democracy is built upon. It is being symbolized through their minimalistic geometric forms and typography, blue colour palette and a rainbow of sub-colours, and a playful and including adaption for digital design and interfaces.

The power of broadcast mediums is the ability to reach an entire population and involve them in depth about the information being communicated.¹⁴ NRK has a long history with broadcasting media on radio and television, and for the last three decades NRK has been forced to adapt to the technological advancements where people now navigate rather than passively receive. For a long time, NRK was only a centralised speaker for the state and Norwegian people, while in modern times NRK’s visual system had to be changed with emphasises on accessibility, availability, fluidity and user experience – and to be peoples first choice in a competitive mass media market. It is like the vortex of energy McLuhan speaks of and his saying “we shape our tools and thereafter they shape us”. With technological advancement we as people develop new ways to express ourselves with media, that not only shapes ourselves but also shapes the media companies, so that they must adapt by “clinging” on to the technological developments in order to survive “the vortex of mass media”. This applies to NRK and their digital shift in modern times.

The overall design of NRK’s visual identity reflects and represents Norway’s national identity and ideology. That is because NRK is a state-owned company, and by being so, reflects and represents the country’s identity and values. NRK is so well integrated in Norwegian culture and daily life that it is in a way part of every Norwegians own identity. According to NRK themselves, nine out of ten Norwegians uses one or more of NRK’s services during a normal day.¹⁵ The Norwegian culture values simplicity and moderation over excessive expression, and Norwegians tend to be down-to-earth and humble in their behaviour. Norway is part of the Scandinavian- and the Nordic countries, all with similar design styles. In my opinion, with a focus on functionality, simplicity and fluidity, NRK’s visual identity represents Scandinavian design, and with a simple, clear and balanced layout, avoiding overt nationalism and unnecessary ornamentation. The visual identity succeeds in representing Norwegians way of life.

Conclusion

As the sole media and entertainment company for almost 50 years before the digital shift in media – except for private newspapers – NRK shaped and controlled the Norwegian public’s perception and consummation of broadcasted media content. Despite being a state-owned company, NRK and their visual identity represents neutrality, clarity and reliability, and as a result they have shaped and influenced the Norwegian population for the last 50 years – and probably for the next 50 years or more to come. Marshall McLuhan stated that we should pay attention to the media and to what it is doing with us. NRK is a medium for information and knowledge, and therefore also the message shaping the Norwegian people. The visual identity of NRK stand as a symbol for the company’s values, reliability and social important role for the society. The logo especially, is an iconic design artifact that has been loved and appreciated for over 50 years. NRK’s visual identity is a message about what kind of nation-state Norway and Norwegians want to be in the modern digital era – and for the future to come.