Dear Amigos,
When we think of the Icelandic design scenes, we often picture minimalist landscapes and clean lines. However, the raw energy of the Westfjords tells a different story—one of “The Wild West,” punk sensibilities, and communal warmth inside old barns. In this feature, Auður Helgadóttir invites us to discover Ísafjörður Rock City, a typeface that bridges the gap between traditional Tuscan letterforms and the electric atmosphere of a rock festival at the edge of the world.
Auður is a graphic designer based in Reykjavík, Iceland. She graduated with a bachelor’s in graphic design from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2025 and is now looking for an internship. Auður describes her design as playful and colorful.
A: “I tend to like designs that are vibrant, playful and clever – as well as liking the feeling of materiality and texture. I draw an inspiration from a lot of French designers and illustrators. In French design there is often a lot of play with type and colors. I myself am often drawn to unconventional and experimental type and like to use them in my design.”
A: “My interest in type increased immensely when taking a course in Type Design with Gabríel Markan and Gunnar Vilhjálmsson as teachers. Both of them are great Type Designers and as good teachers do, they get you interested in the subject they are teaching.”
In the type design course the design of the type Ísafjörður Rock City began.
A: “I wanted to design a typeface for the festival Aldrei fór ég suður that is held in the small town Ísafjörður, in the Westfjords of Iceland. The festival is often called “the Rock festival of the common people.” Everyone is welcome there, there is free entrance and all the people living in the town and from all over the country gather inside of an old barn and enjoy music together. All kinds of Icelandic musicians with different musical genres play and everybody sings along. Even though this is a very family oriented gathering, it also has a rock and punk element to it. With the harshness of the nature outside, the mountains that surround the town, as well as the sea. Very often the weather is rough outside, with wind blowing and rain and snow.”
The Westfjords of Iceland are sometimes called “The Wild West.” That connection was the awakening for the design. The brief was to make a type that would capture the atmosphere: eye-catching display, electric, soulful.
A: “I started researching Tuscan Typefaces and its characteristics. They became my biggest source of inspiration. I started sketching and came to the conclusion that I really wanted to have the characteristics of my type exaggerated and loud, it fitted well with the festival. The forms that were created between the letters were also a big part of creating a harmony of forms through all the letters coming together, in small or in a large size.”
The outcome was Ísafjörður Rock City. A type referencing the Wild West but in a new context of a fishery town in the West. With the electric atmosphere of the festival, the exaggerated forms of the letter make the feeling of the punk and rock element even stronger”.
A: “To showcase the type I made a riso-printed poster in blue, showcasing the name of the festival, artists and dates. The texture of the riso-print gives the blue a warmer feeling. The blue against the white complements the environment of the town well, referencing the sea contrasting with the white mountains.”
Even though the type was designed specifically with the festival in mind, it can also be used as a display for various other mediums. It can fit perfectly as a type for all kinds of music festivals.
Ísafjörður Rock City is a visual echo of the Westfjords, blending the grit of a “Wild West” fishery town with the electric soul of a community rock festival. By embracing othernest, Auður Helgadóttir has created a bold display of how typography can capture the atmosphere of a place and its people. Auður continues to explore playful, unconventional design from her base in Reykjavík. You can discover more of her vibrant work and full portfolio at audurhelgadottir.cargo.site.
