The Swedish Armed Forces new look

Posted by Tiffany on May 19th, 2010    Add your comment »

My cleverer other half showed me this a few months ago, but now as my brother-in-law heads back to Iraq for a second term I find myself thinking again about our role abroad. And it brought this back to mind.

Sweden has an interesting perspective. For over a century, military service has been mandatory, yet Sweden has not gone to war since 1814. That means the focus of the army is peacekeeping abroad. And this year mandatory military service comes to an end.

It was time to rethink how the military defined and presented itself, and how it might best attract the right kind of people now that it’s voluntary.

Swedish Armed Forces current logo

For a project at design school Hyper Island in Stockholm, Robbin Ingvarsson, Fredrik Holmberg, Kristina Herngren, Anke Buchta, Simon Schlüter & Waldemar Wegelin got together to figure out how to rebrand the Swedish Armed Forces from a traditional defensive collective into a modern employer, attracting brain rather than muscle, to fulfill their missions abroad.

Here is what they came up with…

Camouflage
The group began by thinking about camouflage, one of the most iconic patterns associated with armed forces. Camouflage is designed to hide yourself. For Sweden’s modern take, the group turned this idea around to create a new camouflage that is all about showing yourself. Colorful triangles locked in a strong Tetris-like configuration represent the diversity of people, roles and skills that make up the modern armed forces.

Logo
For the logo the group ditched the sword and stuck with the shield. It’s made of two hands clasped together, symbolizing conflict resolution. The group also saw the pattern on the shield as a ladder for personal development. On top, the three crowns of Sweden are combined into one.

Examples of the new design elements in use.

For more images, information, and a fun video overview of the design process, check out this page from one of the group members.

I don’t know if the SAF will use the new design or not, but I find the triangles dynamic and exciting, and the thinking behind the whole exercise refreshing.

Your thoughts?

::: via minimalissimo and @stockholmdesign :::

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