merry christmas cards

To do or not to do (and when)? And what do they tell people about you and your brand? That is the question when it comes to the annual christmas cards. At least if you are a trained graphic designer, currently running a brand and design consultancy. The pressure is massive, or perhaps that's only in my head.

I was, however, delighted to get an invitation by design studio mermermer (www.mermermer.com), run by seven talented designers, to get the christmas card business taken care of. The simple recipe was to hand in a list of recipients and 25 SEK (€ 2.50) per card. The rest was to be taken care of by mermermer. Including sending the cards out on time!

It was an absolutely fabulous idea. But pressure got the better of me and here I am, without the, no doubt, ingenious and very special christmas cards designed by mermermer. Instead I made them myself. Again. Now, what does that say about me (and my brand)?

So, merry christmas to all of you! I hope the holidays will be filled with rest and no decision making. And perhaps a bit of snow. Or sunny summer days.

Soul food

I'm in love with a brand. I know it's unorthodox, but this one deserves it. Since 1964 the company, Saltå Kvarn (Saltå Mill) in Järna, Sweden, has been in business – in the field of biodynamic and ecological crops.

If you walk into a fairly well stocked food shop in Sweden today, you will find anything from dried apricots and pineapple juice to bulgur wheat and rye flour. All ecologically grown. All biodynamic. By Saltå Kvarn.

A few years back Saltå Kvarn redesigned their packaging, giving the brand a real energy injection. It's a pleasure to see the retro looking packages in basic colours stand out from any food shelf. The packaging is what made me, and many others, I'm convinced, rediscover the brand. And it's a pleasure to buy biodynamic food when the whole experience feels good.

PS: If you're in Sweden, don't miss their sourdough baking courses, using their traditional stone ovens.

www.saltakvarn.se

guess my country

There has been a lot of focus on nation branding lately. At this year's Design Indaba (www.designindaba.com) in Cape Town in February, brand and design guru Wally Olins spoke about the nation as a brand. And in the September issue of Monocle (www.monocle.com) a whole section (40+ pages…) is dedicated to the basics of country construction. And honestly, we do have strong ideas about certain nations. Which country is associated with skillful engineering but a lack of emotionality? Where does a cheerful, blond, cross-country skier have his home?

Some nations lack images. Olins gave a good example:
– Ask someone in South America what they think about Lithuania. They don't.

Another issue that's currently on everybody's lips is global warming and the need for a change in our behaviour, or else we'll have to find ourselves a new home in a not too distant future. I'm just wondering which nation is going to be the first to make a real effort to become the "green nation", the nation we will all associate with ecological efforts and sustainable thinking.

Welcome to my world of brands!

This is a forum for brands, and everything that relates to them. From strategy to creativity, products to communication, nation branding to the logo of the local pizza place – it's all part of the world of brands. This is a forum for obsession, random thoughts, analysis and critique. So let's start. Here and now. Welcome to my world of brands!