Sweden Gets a Global Branding Treatment

Erica Gamet

The Scandinavians are at it again! This time, the Norwegians step aside and let the Swedes bask in the design spotlight with a global branding initiative for the entire country of Sweden. Spearheading the task is the Söderhavet agency of Stockholm. The main thrust of the branding was to create a cohesive brand for the country, and to make it obvious when organizations were communicating on behalf of Sweden. As the agency puts it, “…to unambiguously represent Sweden in the world.”

The agency’s first hurdle was how to organize the varied identities of government agencies and corporations as well as how to scale a unified identity up or down, dependent on a particular project. Söderhavet took a 3-tiered approach to the problem, assigning critical elements, optional branding, and a scalable, customizable approach to additional information. On the first tier—essential elements to be used when representing the Swedish government—sits the Swedish flag, “Sverige” (that’s Sweden, in case your Swedish is a little rusty), and the translated version in the target localization for the project. The next level involves incorporating the blue and gold of the Swedish flag and also the use of a custom typeface. Sweden Sans—a monospaced typeface created by Stefan Hattenbach—was inspired by the typography of old signs. It also sports a typically Scandinavian (i.e. clean, sparse, and oh-so-utilitarian) profile.

The final, third tier elements come into play as space, design constraints, and context will allow. These elements might include the organization’s own logos when that message needs to be conveyed. A unique tool implemented by Söderhavet is the Official Anglemaker. This custom solution creates geometric shapes based on the compass bearings of Sweden and additional locations, giving a unique way to represent the connection between Sweden and the rest of the world. In addition to the system for unifying government entities and partner companies, the agency created a website as well as a social media presence.

As with all things Scandinavian, this approach seems streamlined, efficient, and cohesive. It probably would never work in the US, but I have to wonder what a project of this scope would look like if we did attempt it. Leave your thoughts in the comments, if you decide to take a stab at it.