Hilma
Bar — Restaurant & Tattoo Studio

Generator is a design-led hostel chain with locations in twelve major European cities. When launching their Stockholm hostel, they reached out to create a distinct identity for their new in-house restaurant. Each Generator location is shaped by the character of its city, and Stockholm was no exception. The concept drew inspiration from the Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), known for her pioneering work in abstraction and symbolism. The brief was to bring Hilma’s artistry to life in a contemporary context — honoring her spiritual and visual language while creating a modern, vibrant space.

We let the artist herself shine at the core of Hilma’s identity, building the entire visual concept from snippets, words, and symbols found in Hilma af Klint’s personal notebooks — kept during her séances in the early 20th century. The result is a typography-driven identity where type functions as both illustration and pattern. Each item in the identity is custom-made, featuring poetic Swedish words from Hilma af Klint’s writings. These elements were screen printed or letterpressed onto materials such as cloth-covered handmade clipboards with brass details, paper bags, staff shirts, business cards, and more.