Finding the right font is always important for summing up a business, and apparently it's equally important to the Nation of Sweden, too. NPR recently reported on that country's effort to develop a typeface that perfectly encapsulates its spirit. To do this, they consulted with the design firm Soderhavet, which endeavored to create a lettering style based on traditional Swedish culture and values.
One particular concept the firm capitalized on is that of "lagom," a Swedish word that stands for finding a perfect balance. As designer Stefan Hattenbach says, the literal translation is "not too much and not too little."
To that end, the designers drew from old styles and images to create "Sweden Sans," which is simple and smooth and could soon find its way on official documents to represent the country. It is also currently available for free download from the official site, which renders it in blue and yellow, the colors of the Swedish flag.
Soderhavet's creative director, Matthias Svensson, also spoke to the source and told them about what Sweden Sans could bring as it is granted official usage.
"What I see with the brand as a whole is its capability to communicate both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but I can also see the typeface used when it's talking about potential tourists coming to Sweden," he said. Another source, Architectural Digest, quotes Svensson on the connotations the lettering brings with it, describing it as "a very clean font, a very airy font."
With the right time and signage materials, businesses can create their own logo for various forms of displays that does a similar job catching their "essence" and communicating it to others. Vinyl signs are just one option for companies to consider when showing off their new logo.