Niyaz Huseynzade 
In the old city center of Prague, a renowned cultural monument is undergoing a 21st-century makeover. The Zenger Transformer Substation formerly will be converted into the new Kunsthalle Praha museum for art and culture following an extensive renovation. The contemporary art center will debut in 2022, and its future visitors will be greeted by a sleek bronze logo formed of 3D letters that climb the building’s neoclassical façade. Studio Najbrt, a prominent graphic design firm based in the Czech Republic, designed the innovative concept.
The modern type embraces the historic façade of the building, merging with it naturally as if it has always been there. The curving bronze typeface symbolizes the new art center’s brand in visual form, and its unusual form makes the institution’s name visible from several perspectives. A vintage typeface from the 1930s inspires the cast bronze logo’s chunky block letters. It was initially designed by Jan Tschichold when the famous station was constructed.
The 3D cast bronze text is a work of art in and of itself. To achieve the distinctive bend in the type that allows the characters to hug the building’s corner so comfortably, the Czech design firm had to complete a series of trials and modifications on the design. They used paper models and graphical representations to ensure each letter’s hinge was at the proper angle. According to the studio, this ambitious project is their “largest realization of typography in public space” to date.
Scroll down to view more photos of Studio Najbrt’s beautiful bronze design for Prague’s new Kunsthalle Praha art museum. For additional work from the Czech design firm, visit their website and like them on Instagram.
Studio Najbrt: Website | Instagram
Kunsthalle Praha: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
