New logo: Eurovision Song Contest 2013

The Eurovision Song Contest, an annual televised singing competition with competitors from most European countries, was last year won by Sweden. As a result, this year's contest will be held in Malmö, a city in southern Sweden with about 300,000 inhabitants. Each contest has its own look and feel, and the visual identity – or theme art as the contest calls it – was unveiled today. It was developed by Happy F&B, a design agency in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The concept is called "the Butterfly Effect" – inspired by the idea that the flap of a butterfly can cause a hurricane on the other side of the planet – and has a colourful butterfly symbol at the heart of the identity. According to press reports, the symbol is about "togetherness, diversity and happiness". The two former values are expressed through the slogan "We Are One".
Read more »

New logo: Ving, Spies and Tjäreborg

European holiday giant Thomas Cook Group is using three primary brand for its travel operators in the Nordic countries; Ving in Norway and Sweden, Spies in Denmark and Tjäreborg in Finland. All three brands have histories going back to the 50s and enjoy strong positions in their respective markets. Today, it is launching a new visual identity with a common icon to be used by all three brands, created by Swedish design agency Happy F&B

From now on, all three brands will be represented by a glowing yellow and orange heart, nick-named "The Sunny Heart". The changes will also apply to the group hotel chains, Sunwing and Sunprime. Having a common visual identity allows both the travel operator and the hotels to be part of the same unified brand experience.
Read more »

In detail: Sveriges Radio (2010)

Sveriges Radio is Sweden's public radio company. With four nationwide FM networks funded be a license fee, it dominates radio listening in the country. Last year, it implemented a company-wide rebrand that had its root in the perceived need to enforce one single name for the company.

For many years Sveriges Radio had referred to itself both by its full name and by its initials (SR). After an identity review, it was decided that the company needed one single verbal identity. It could either follow the lead of most other broadcasters and switch to an initialism that is never read out in full, or they would use the full name in all circumstances. They opted for the latter, as the full name differentiates Sveriges Radio in a crowded landscape and communicates that they are a Swedish company that does radio. An an identity overhaul was set in motion.
Read more »