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New dragon logo for the government of Wales by Smörgåsbord.

New dragon logo for the government of Wales by Smörgåsbord.

Wales: Rebranding a Whole-ass Country

November 14, 2017

Dylan Griffith of Smörgåsbord Talks National Branding

It's hard enough to solve the problem of rebranding a large company with loads of existing brand equity and emotional associations. So imagine doing this for a country with centuries of cultural history and a language and heritage all its own, representing millions of people who have much more than a financial stake in the brand. 

Smörgåsbord, a branding firm headquartered jointly in Cardiff and Amsterdam, recently took on the challenge of refreshing a visual identity for the Welsh government. The new brand is implemented across multiple sectors, including everything from tourism and transportation to official government business applications. This presents a huge challenge of versatility, and I'm particularly excited by how this problem was addressed typographically. (Although the infographic treatments are pretty exciting, too.) Smörgåsbord created a bespoke typeface to accompany the brand, Cymru Sans, which provides blessed relief from the tired, American Uncial treatment we've become so accustomed to seeing in Irish Pubs and all other manner of places attempting to tout Celtic heritage. I mean, look at that double-d ligature!

Dylan Griffith is a Creative Director with Smörgåsbord. You can watch his presentation on the rebranding of Wales here.  

Also check out the case study on Smörgåsbord's own lovely website.

Wales_type.png
Source: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/nicer-tuesdays-october-2017-dylan-griffith-smorgasbord-141117?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=intsocial
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Archive

  • November 2017
    • Nov 14, 2017 Wales: Rebranding a Whole-ass Country Nov 14, 2017
  • March 2017
    • Mar 16, 2017 Michael Bierut on Internet Logo Uproar Mar 16, 2017
  • August 2016
    • Aug 15, 2016 Subway Gets Fresh Aug 15, 2016
  • February 2016
    • Feb 29, 2016 US Soccer is Finally All Grown-up Feb 29, 2016
    • Feb 18, 2016 Trouble at t' Met Feb 18, 2016
  • January 2016
    • Jan 7, 2016 New York Public Library Releases Trove of Public Domain Imagery Jan 7, 2016
  • December 2015
    • Dec 1, 2015 Navy to Don Hand-painted Helmets Against Army Dec 1, 2015
  • November 2015
    • Nov 18, 2015 LG's Crafty Logo Change Nov 18, 2015
    • Nov 6, 2015 The Space Race Nov 6, 2015
  • October 2015
    • Oct 22, 2015 I Love Helvetica. Oct 22, 2015
  • September 2015
    • Sep 22, 2015 The Emperor's New Clothes: Defending Google's Logo Sep 22, 2015
    • Sep 22, 2015 Typography Returns to NFL Uniforms Sep 22, 2015
    • Sep 11, 2015 Authenticity Sep 11, 2015
    • Sep 9, 2015 Someone Listen to Me! Sep 9, 2015

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