Moomin Graphics × Scandinavian Functionalism

The Teema mug is the meeting point: a plain functional Nordic shape carrying one warm hand drawing.

From the research on Moomin Graphics (Tove Jansson's Pen-Drawn World and its Licensed Afterlife)

Mix them and make something Moomin Graphics Scandinavian Functionalism

A sample layout drawn from the recipe: shapes from Moomin Graphics, their arrangement from Moomin Graphics, the finish from Moomin Graphics. Not a real work, and not an image of either style.

What each style brings

Each part of the design comes from the style with the stronger say in it, and each style gives at least two.

Moomin Graphics (Tove Jansson's Pen-Drawn World and its Licensed Afterlife) Scandinavian Functionalism

Type from Scandinavian Functionalism: Geometric sans
Grotesque & neo-grotesque
Colour from Scandinavian Functionalism: Flat fields
Analogous harmony
Form from Moomin Graphics: Rounded & pill
Stylised figuration
Composition from Moomin Graphics: Sequential narrative
Framed panels
Surface from Moomin Graphics

The type

Open fonts standing in for each style’s own type, which is often hand-drawn or commercial.

Display · Scandinavian Functionalism

Together

Jost, standing in for Futura

Text · Moomin Graphics

The pen-and-ink world of Tove Jansson's Moomin books (1945-1977) and newspaper strip (1947-1975): round, white, snouted trolls drawn in a sure, fine black line, small against hatched forests, seas and night skies, in strips of framed panels with hand-lettered balloons. Her drawings are small and mostly black ink on white paper, with a second, full-colour gouache mode in three picture books. Since 1990 Arabia's mugs and other licensed goods adapt single drawings onto white grounds with one or two soft flat colours, turning one artist's hand into a living graphic system.

Comic Neue; Moomin Graphics used Hand-lettering in speech balloons and captions, the newspaper comic-strip tradition and Old-style book serif for the running text of the novels, the classic book-typography tradition

The colours

The ground and leading colours come from Scandinavian Functionalism, with a counter-accent from Moomin Graphics. The ink reads on the ground at 4.5:1 or more.

Moomin Graphics (Tove Jansson's Pen-Drawn World and its Licensed Afterlife) Scandinavian Functionalism

#f6f3ec ground · 36%
#1f2a37 ink · 14%
#e3b53a accent · 18%
#d2483a accent · 14%
#a63a2a accent · 10%
#e6c26a accent · 8%

As CSS

:root {
  --ground: #f6f3ec;
  --ink: #1f2a37;
  --accent-1: #e3b53a;
  --accent-2: #d2483a;
  --accent-3: #a63a2a;
  --accent-4: #e6c26a;
  --font-display: "Jost", sans-serif;
  --font-text: "Comic Neue", cursive;
}

Use it with care

Moomin Graphics (Tove Jansson's Pen-Drawn World and its Licensed Afterlife): The Moomin characters, names and drawings are protected and licensed by the Jansson family's company; use the drawing approach (fine ink line, round figures, hatched landscape, one or two soft colours) rather than copying the characters or implying an official Moomin product.

The two styles

1945–present · Northern Europe, Global / networked Moomin Graphics (Tove Jansson's Pen-Drawn World and its Licensed Afterlife) The pen-and-ink world of Tove Jansson's Moomin books (1945-1977) and newspaper strip (1947-1975): round, white, snouted trolls drawn in a sure, fine black line, small against hatched forests, seas and night skies, in strips of framed panels with hand-lettered balloons. Her drawings are small and mostly black ink on white paper, with a second, full-colour gouache mode in three picture books. Since 1990 Arabia's mugs and other licensed goods adapt single drawings onto white grounds with one or two soft flat colours, turning one artist's hand into a living graphic system.

A rust-red cat sleeps curled beside a leafy green plant in a yellow pot on a cream background. Large dark lettering reads “Quiet Days” at upper left, with a yellow circle above the plant.

1930–present · Northern Europe Scandinavian Functionalism Nordic functionalism (funkis) arrived in graphic form with Sigurd Lewerentz's posters and winged emblem for the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition. It adapted Bauhaus rationalism to a social-democratic ideal of beautiful everyday things for everyone. Its graphic language is modernism with warmth: clear sans-serif or humane serif type, generous space, friendly simplified symbols and colours taken from nature, applied to public services, consumer goods and national identities.