On quiet beauty and the blank sheet

‘The most beautiful sound next to silence’ – that was how the pioneering record label ECM, founded in Munich in 1969, described their distinctive blend of understated jazz and classical music. Just hearing that statement feels like music itself, offering a subtle hint of what their catalogue sounds like. 

There’s a certain beauty in things expressed through a quiet voice, framed by space and silence – whether it’s minimalist music or pared-down prose, Japanese pottery or Swiss typography, Dieter Rams' designs for Braun in the 1950s and 60s, or the Nordic heritage of functionalist architecture and design. All of these have shaped our own design ethos and practices in various ways. 

The name ARKET translates to ‘a sheet of paper’ in Swedish, symbolising potential and creativity: the blank sheet. It also represents simplicity, which runs as a common thread throughout our collections and visual identity, where white space is ‘an active element’ rather than just ‘a passive background.’ 

The ARKET logo is simply the name in uppercase, set in our bespoke typeface, developed to create a functional branding system that communicates product and content above the brand name across different applications. Black on white, it’s an archetypal expression of simplicity, focusing on composition and guiding the viewer’s attention to fundamental elements. The concept of ‘the white box’ in exhibition spaces follows the same principle. By stripping away excess, the space allows content to take centre stage – whether a painting, object, or idea. 

But the meaning of function is fluid. When researching prints and patterns a few years ago – exploring how to incorporate surface decoration into minimalist designs – our team revisited early modernist ideas: essentialism versus ornamentation, purpose, clarity, function, and form. What started as a narrower project evolved into a broader discussion on beauty and the role of functionalism today, leading to a strengthened belief in form as function, especially when designing for longevity. Because what is more essential than the feeling of music and emotion in a product?