MONCHEGORSK, MURMANSK OBLAST, Russia
Design code of Monchegorsk
Step by step projects towards design code
The most important part of town branding is getting up with the streets and dealing with urban projects of all kinds, like implementing design code, wayfinding and other spot projects on improvement of the exteriors here and there. Small changes on the streets are seen way ahead of other social changes and they better be synced with the unique branding concept and intersect with the whole ideology. To our surprise, Monchegorsk house managing department (typically, sceptic for changes teams) was quite open for initiatives and have seen branding through the project-specific applications.
As to our experience, urban projects in towns are mostly done out of context, without proper research and branding idea. That's why the projects on the edge of the two are the most valuable and rare.
Natalia Makovsky
BRAND STRATEGIST
Historical watercolor
During the first visit of town, we've made a useful contact at the House Managment institution, where observed a totally mesmerizing set of old watercolors, manifesting the consistent color palettes of the facades. It changes our views towards the historical architecture.
Love for the well-known architecture of Monchegorsk started with visiting Vitaly Zheleztsov, the vice director of the house managment organization. One of the first things he showed to us was the number of watercolor drawings of the Monchegorsk historical buildings that drove me absolutely crazy. These watercolors showed how the streets of Monchegorsk originally used to be looking like.
Igor Makovsky
BRAND STRATEGIST, ART DIRECTOR, DESIGNER
Vitaly Zheleztsov showed me the set of inspiring watercolor architect drawings made by Gorelick, the architect
There were no digital versions of these facade drawings and the first thing we've done was redrawing these illustrations in vector. We got number of perfectly drawn out illustration, that were used for the design code lately.
Digital versions of the building drawings (illustrated by Sasha Korsakova)
Field research
Every branding process begins with the close acquaintance with the town. In case of Monchegorsk, it was immediately clear that town had to be wiped of all the graphical garbage it got partly drown in. So we've made a short review on many eyestriking inconsistencies with common sence. This was the first step towards the urge of implementing the functional design code.
The report on the things that bothered us. Close view at the map here.
Street house plaques
House numbers plaques are the second most important design element after the town logo and we were more than happy when had been requested to make a design for these widespread elements. In Monchegorsk there was quite a mess, like, say, mostly everywhere else.
House number plates assortiment
We've decided to separate number plate with the street title, that vary in size to three types. Besides, we've designed two types of inverted colors, according to the context color of the facades.
House number plaques color depends on the context color of the facádes
All street title plaques devided into 3 size forms
Standard for infoplates
All the info plates for the most important information now has an oval shape and the strictly regulated number of contents, not being overwhelmed with design. These designs take attention and look fresh and readable.
Number of info plates that we've designed during the first year of support in 2022
(designed by Igor Makovsky and Viktor Krasovsky)
(designed by Igor Makovsky and Viktor Krasovsky)
Oval shaped info plates are conspicuous enough
First try-outs of the design code
Implementing new rules of design code on legal level is always challenging for the departments and administration that would face lots of negative from the entrepreneurs. Before official release of the design code, we have managed to try it on small territories of the town under the special requests. The first one was the list of recommendations and rules for the streets around the newly constructed memorial stela. We've put all the recommendation online for more transparency.
Monument complex logo "Town of labour valour" (design was not accepted)
First try-outs of design code implementation by the monument complex
Illustrations for the partial design code (made by Igor Makovsky)
These small projects for developing design code on request has brought us closer to the creation of the full-scale designcode later on. First, we've had to test hypothesis. Second, it became easier to describe what design code process means to the public and authorities.
Igor Makovsky
BRAND STRATEGIST, ART DIRECTOR, DESIGNER
Monchegorsk design code
When things got serious, we've contacted the team that is famous for developing the well-known available "Design code for arctic settlements" edition by Irina Krasnoperova and the Kod Bureau. It was needed not only to formalise the rules, communicate with residents, but also to put everything in the legal form, which was the most important part of their amazing work. We have been keenly observing the process, almost without taking part in this tough work. Job well done: the design code was approved and got legal status in late, 2023.
Awesome team of Kod Bureau, the authors of the Design code of Arctic Settlements have taken a firm grip on the town of lakes
The outstanding work of the Kod Bureau featuring the design code of the historical street of Monchegorsk (illustrations made by Sasha Korsakova)
Most of the work lies in between comparison of the existent sad situation and the satisfactory one
As our experience demonstrate us, finding time for reading the wholesome design code manual is totally impossible for the entrepreneurs, who, therefore totally ignore the document. That's why we've moved to the next step, read below.
Igor Makovsky
BRAND STRATEGIST, ART DIRECTOR, DESIGNER
Handy version for entrepreneurs
A shortened and well-written, adopted for the business, with all the needed information inside. There were versions: print and interactive. The online one went unclaimed, while the other one seems pretty in demand.
Offline shortened Q&A version for the entrepreneurs with all the information they might need
Interactive version for the mass public with a map (still in getting content phase)
Monchegorsk in media
- Kod bureau official page, telegram and vk
- Agency's number of articles on the design code implementation project
- Get familiar with the full version of the design code of Monchegorsk
- Read the shortened version of design code for business, released by the Agency
- Get design code of the arctic settlements (by Irina Krasnoperova and Kod Bureau)
Left-to-right: Elena Ishkova, Igor Makovsky, Vitaliy Zheleztsov
- Anna Fedorova,
Dasha Yarkova,
Kirill Fokin,
Dasha Budkova,
and othersThanks to Monchegorsk Development Agency team - Irina Krasnoperova,
Ksenia Deeva,
Nastya KonarevaKod Bureau - Elena Ishkova,
Vitaliy Zheleztsov,
Anna AlenevskayaHousing managment in Monchegorsk team - Igor MakovskyArt direction, designer,
design code - Sasha KorsakovaIllustrator
- Viktor KrasovskyDesigner born in Monchegorsk
- Ilya NaumovFactor_A type designer
More projects in Monchegorsk
