The Swedish History Museum (Historiska museet) in Stockholm is Sweden’s national museum of history and archaeology, holding more than ten million objects in its collections spanning from the Ice Age to today.[1] In March 2013, the museum launched a new communication strategy and visual identity, positioning itself as “Sweden’s number one storyteller.”[2]
Design and History
The new identity was developed by Stockholm-based design studio Bold, which won the commission through a nationwide procurement process involving 60 agencies.[2] The creative team included creative director Oskar Lübeck and designers Nick Greening, Lisa Rydell, Oscar Söderberg and Gaioo Phunwut.[3]
The new logo replaced a black-and-white depiction of a horse and rider with a dynamic capital “H” as the central element of the corporate design.[4] The logotype combines a classic serif font of historical appearance with a contemporary sans-serif font, a juxtaposition intended to bridge past and present.[5] The serif portion of the logo can be replaced with artefacts from the museum’s collection, allowing for dynamic and playful variations across exhibitions and events.[5]
The identity was launched on March 18, 2013, alongside a campaign with the message “We don’t show 1,000 objects. We tell 1,000 exciting stories.”[2] The campaign itself was created by Bror Rudi Creative.[2]
Meaning and Symbolism
Bold described the identity as “dynamic and playful,” inspired by the museum’s mission to create curiosity and interest in history and to get visitors to reflect on the link between past and present.[6] The combination of serif and sans-serif typography was conceived as a visual representation of this past-present duality, with the replaceable serif side allowing the museum to display the breadth of its exhibitions and activities.[7]
Typography and Design
According to Design Tagebuch, the previous wordmark was set in the Baroque-style serif typeface Mrs. Eaves, while the new identity uses Helvetica, which also serves as the museum’s house typeface.[4] The combination of classic and modern typography was also applied as a graphical theme throughout the museum’s broader identity, including pictograms, symbols and imagery.[6]
The identity received recognition at international design awards, including a Bronze at the London International Awards in 2014 and a Red Dot Design Award.[8][5]
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