In 1977, composer and writer Synne Skouen launched “Ballade. Journal for ny musikk” with the association Ny Musikk as publisher. Visual artist Terje Roalkvam, educated at the Statens Håndverks- og Kunstindustriskole in Oslo and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, was attached to the editorial staff as graphic designer from the first issue. He remained responsible for Ballade’s design throughout Skouen’s editorship until 1986.
Right up until the mid-1980s, Roalkvam’s signature defined Ballade’s distinctive two-colour covers. Whether characterized by geometric play on form—as they most often were—or by portraits of the many modernist composers, both Norwegian and international, who became central to Ballade’s profile, his designs gave the magazine a coherent visual identity.
The editorial staff also brought on Tom Sandberg as photographer. His portraits of composers commissioned by Ballade have since become highlights of Norwegian photography, including his famous images from John Cage’s visit to Høvikodden and the Henie Onstad Art Center. Several other illustrators and photographers were also commissioned by the magazine throughout this period.
During the same years, Roalkvam designed a series of concert posters for Ny Musikk, establishing a strong visual profile for the association. These posters, produced between 1980-81, were created using silkscreen printing—a time-consuming process where each colour required a separate stencil and individual application. The stencils themselves were cut-and-paste works, common practice in the late 1970s. The coloured geometric designs were printed centrally and distributed to local Ny Musikk departments around the country, which then added concert information in black according to Roalkvam’s instructions.
The silkscreen prints feature lush, thick, opaque ink with very bright colours that reward close inspection. These magnificent handmade works represent a significant chapter in Norwegian graphic design history, documenting the visual language of contemporary music culture during a formative decade.
