splashing out

We recently designed the promotional graphics for A Bigger Splash - an event held in London by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce UK (SCC).

The event was organised by the Young Professionals at SCC and took the format of a question and answer forum. For me, the common theme was the singular passion and drive each of entrepreneurs possessed, and their ability to spring back from all the knock backs and upsets they experienced. This emphasised the fact that there is no short cut to being successful as an entrepreneur (contrary to the impression given on reality TV).

The keynote speakers came from a wide spectrum of business activity - from selling clothes and homewares to a global market (http://www.lexingtoncompany.com/) through to developing an app for streaming live video from a smart phone (http://bambuser.com/).

swedish link

We've recently been doing some work with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK, publicising the events they run (for example their upcoming seminar Generation Zero: The Future of Youth Unemployment).

hot off the {apple} press

Here's a sneak peek at some of our latest work in Scandinavia. Quite literally hot off the press and into Stockholm's coolest bars, Gravendal cider's new design rolls out in Sweden over the next few months. Check our main site for the full Gravendal story soon.

spotted in Stockholm

Our eagle-eyed Creative Director Nik often comes back from business trips with news of new products and designs to share with the studio. His latest dispatch concerned Unilever's Swedish Flora packs. Says Nik: "Very odd... looks like something your Gran might have in her bathroom. That said, I bizarrely quite like it!"

lighten up

Some of our latest Swedish work - for retail giant Axfood - is being rolled out this/next week. We've designed the packaging and instore communications for a new range of low energy lightbulbs. Ever heard of a lumen? Well, it's what the light output of these bulbs is measured in (rather than watts) so a big part of the challenge was to educate the consumer and take any confusion out of the equation. The bulbs are both energy and money saving in the long run, so pretty good all round!

And here they are in situ...

coffee break

We've recently completed a big project redesigning the full range of packaging for our Swedish client Löfbergs Lila, one of the biggest coffee roasters in the Nordic region. Using the proposition 'Extraordinary Expertise', we married the professionalism and passion of family-owned brand, and communicated its unique and distinctive personality.

The resulting packs see the humble coffee cup transformed with flamboyant decorations which hold the values of the brand and increase variant differentiation across the range. The back of pack is also used to communicate 'Extraordinary Expertise' with an eclectic collection of coffee stories, tips and images from the Löfbergs Lila archive.

from bergen with love (and rain)

It may be all rainy and wintery here in the UK, but take heart - Bergen in Norway has a whopping 275 days of rain a year. This historic city was Anna's destination the other week, and judging by this picture she sent us in between meetings, it is quite another world (look at how the forest is eerily coming out of the mist in the background)!

kaffe culture

At the end of last year we were working on an unusual project for Swedish retailer 7-Eleven, which is just coming to fruition now so we thought we'd share it here...

The brief was to create a coffee thermo-mug, co-branded Shell and 7-Eleven, which would meet practical considerations (spill-proof, fits a car cup holder, insulated etc.), while being desirable to Scandinavian consumers.

While in the UK thermo-mugs are just starting to catch on (for example Starbucks' version), in Scandinavia many people have and use them, but the available models tend to be lacking in the style department.

So, we designed a premium-yet-playful mug that tells a story about the role coffee plays in the consumer's daily life (from the morning commute to refuelling later in the afternoon), hence the personal "my mug" name.

We were then asked to create the launch campaign material, which flowed on naturally from the mug design, picking up on key elements and using them on loyalty cards, posters and more. So next time you're in Sweden and feeling thirsty...

cold calling

Our new business team has been spending quite a bit of time in Scandinavia of late - Stockholm, Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Helsinki... Well, if we thought we were having a cold winter here in the UK, it's even colder and snowier elsewhere. Here are a few pictures Anna took in Helsinki the other week. It does looks beautiful, but most of us are more than happy to appreciate the winter wonderland from the cosy confines of the studio!

stockholm calling

Sweden is well known for its great design and sense of aesthetic. We’re lucky to be regular visitors, working with Spendrups, Löfbergs Lila and Brämhults to name but three. When we’re Stockholm bound, we always try and make time to have a nose about to see what’s new, what catches our eye and what inspires us. Here are some of our favourite finds, showcasing the Swedish love of colour, type, illustration and above all, simplicity, alongside some of our own work (click for larger images)…

1 & 11 Saltå Kvarn; an organic food brand with a wonderful colour palette and naïve illustration style; 2 Renée Voltaire, another organic brand, with great quirky typography. The brand has just launched a range of feminine care products (3); 4 more simple and eye-catching illustration on these ricecakes from Friggs; 5 we designed these cute little coffees for Löfbergs Lila this year.

6 this tray sums up Swedish design for us, found in the Design Torget shop (a mecca for all things Scandinavian) at Arlanda airport; 7 ‘tea-chic’ by Friggs with more crazy but beautiful type; 8 more of our work for Löfbergs Lila; these emotional espresso packs were produced in 2006; 9 meet Pee (or‘Kiss’ in Swedish), part of a pair of brilliant toys to help young kids with toilet training; 10 we spotted these simple, bright and engaging own-label packs in ICA; 12 we designed Sweden’s no.1 water brand, Loka; and Gravendal (13), a cider with street-cred for brewers Spendrups

party spirit

We have been working on the branding and packaging for Swedish family-owned brewery Spendrups' latest launch into the RTD (ready-to-drink) market, JINX. It is the first RTD made with real fruit juice to be launched in Scandinavia, offering a more natural and honest fruit-flavoured alcoholic drink.

Our Account Director Julia says, "In Sweden RTDs are drunk by men and women alike, and achieving the balance of natural fruit and party cues as well as creating a design with appeal to both sexes were the key challenges."

The label demonstrates a "perfect blend of fashion, fruit and party, whilst offering the widely recognized and assuring cues of spirits brands".

We also enlisted everyone's help in coming up with a suitable name, with the ultimate winner, JINX, alluding to the mystery and surprise of a night out partying with friends!