The Norwegian Parliament enacted in 2017 the merging of several counties all over the country. In western Norway this will result in the merger of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane to the new Vestland county the first of January 2020. Being the home of 43 municipalities and over 600 000 people, the new county needed a unifying coat of arms, which we were appointed to design.

The goal of the motive was to be both relevant and unifying for the whole county, while still retaining a timeless and independent design that can live and work far into the future. The visual attributes should be based on the old rules of heraldry, following the tradition of other Norwegian coat of arms.

Very few places in the world can pride themselves on the same rich and varied nature that surrounds this new county. The dramatic view of the mountainsides diving straight into the fjords have become an important symbolic value for Norway as a nation, but stands especially strong in the western part of Norway. The untouched and clean nature is relevant now more than ever, laying the foundation for new, strong stories for the coming generations to tell.

The motive is an abstracted rendition of the new county’s distinctive fjords, serving as a retelling of these majestic landforms. It’s simple and clearly presented without any obfuscating details, distilling the story of the new county down to the bare essence.