Arve Båtevik (b. 1991) is the principal designer and founder of Nortype, a type foundry dedicated to creating accessible and visually enduring typefaces. With over ten years of experience in type design, Arve’s approach is grounded in rigorous research and technical precision.
He holds a BA in Graphic Design from Westerdals in Oslo, where his thesis “Subtle Expression in Typography” featured interviews with leading type designers François Rappo, Erik Spiekermann, and Christian Schwartz. He continued his education with an MA in Type Design from the École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in Switzerland, where his diploma project on geometric typefaces received the Prix David Rust.
Arve’s typefaces and design work are used by clients including Sunnfjord Waste Management, Louis Vuitton, Arbeiderpartiet, The New York Times Magazine, Gymshark, La Biennale di Venezia, Radiumhospitalet, Vogue, Cully Jazz, Adobe, Bang & Olufsen, Harvard Art Museums, Amalie Dahl’s Dafnie, The Munch Museum, Fantasy Chess, W Hotels, Olafur Eliasson, Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Humor på Torshov, Théâtre National de la Danse Chaillot, Eye Magazine, Henning Larsen Architects, Emne Studio, Veeps, Designmuseum Danmark, Scribd, and many more.
At Nortype, Arve pursues a research-driven approach to type design, focusing on universal design, readability, and visual durability. His work challenges the assumption that accessible or functional type must be aesthetically compromised, showing instead that typefaces can be both highly functional and visually appealing. He provides designers with robust and versatile tools that unite clarity, usability, and beauty.
Arve’s typefaces SN Nord and SN Arkitekt have received Gold at the Grafill Visuelt awards, with additional distinctions for SN Gangster, SN Eleganse, and SN Skandia. He has curated the exhibitions “Skrift i Oslo” and “Ingen veit kven Trygve er” at Grafill. “Skrift i Oslo” surveyed 100 years of handmade signs and lettering, highlighting the city’s unique visual dialect and the role of type in shaping its identity. “Ingen veit kven Trygve er” explored the legacy of Trygve M. Davidsen through archival materials that connect illustration, advertising, type design, and the development of Norwegian graphic design.
Currently, Arve is leading “Den Norske Bokstaven,” a grant-funded research project focused on Norwegian type design, and preparing an upcoming exhibition on Norwegian design from the interwar period. Alongside his work at Nortype, Arve also runs Store Norske Skriftkompani, a foundry focusing on Norwegian visual heritage.
Arve Båtevik’s typefaces for Nortype
Sanna