Image: Designmuseum Denmark
Designmuseum Denmark has opened 'LABORATORIUM Kontrapunkt', a new exhibition focused on the Danish design bureau Kontrapunkt and its role in shaping visual culture over four decades. The museum describes the show as the fourth in its LABORATORIUM series, which invites visitors into the creative process behind selected design projects and presents design as something built through method, context and experimentation rather than as finished decoration alone.
According to the museum, Kontrapunkt has left a significant mark on Denmark through branding and communication work for clients including banks, ministries and museums. The exhibition gathers seven cases spanning the bureau’s 40-year practice, bringing together examples from state institutions and infrastructure as well as sport and business. The museum highlights familiar identities such as DSB’s hexagon on the S-train, Apoteket’s ‘a’ on the facade and TV 2’s circular logo on screen as part of the visual landscape many Danes encounter every day.
The exhibition page says 'LABORATORIUM Kontrapunkt' offers a close look at how the bureau works and at the process behind the development of the selected brand identities. It presents Kontrapunkt’s approach as one rooted in classical design craft and a respect for culture and context. The museum notes that the strongest identities in this practice often begin with something already present, such as a symbol with a long history, a letterform from Renaissance pharmacy jars or a city’s lions.
The show is also described as Kontrapunkt’s first museum exhibition. Designmuseum Denmark frames the project as part of its wider LABORATORIUM programme, which presents changing exhibitions about innovative and exemplary design from the present day while giving visitors a rare view of the path from first idea to final outcome. The museum says the series features both established and emerging designers and craft practitioners whose work helps shape future design.
The museum’s newsletter and exhibition page both note that 'LABORATORIUM Kontrapunkt' runs from 12 June to 18 October 2026. A review quoted by the museum from Berlingske gave the exhibition four stars and described it as a nostalgic trip through Kontrapunkt’s universe. The museum’s own framing places the work within a broader account of how graphic design has become part of a shared visual culture in Denmark.
The exhibition sits alongside other museum programming this summer, including the textile artist Nikoline Liv Andersen’s exhibition 'Det evige Smil' and the long-running 'Japan Modern Poster'. Designmuseum Denmark also says it is open every day through July and August, from Monday 6 July to Monday 31 August, to make room for a calmer museum experience during the busy summer months.
