Every brand renewal has to have a purpose. A new brand isn’t something anyone should create out of boredom or “just because we need a new brand”. Your new brand is the core of your identity, the personality of your company.
As we’ve grown over the past few years, we realized that our old brand no longer represented us.
That’s the reason why we created our new brand, our essence, our heart. In the words of our creative director, Oona Colliander:
“It all starts with a line.
It’s a straight line at an 11-degree angle.
The angle is part of its history and makes it recognizable.
It also hints at growth and looking forward, but without being pretentious or escalating.
It is disruptive in the middle of others because it does not follow the square conventions.
It is brave because it dares to be different.
It’s a bit sporty because it likes performance, but it is always an honest player.
It prefers being white or blue, but sometimes it dresses up to bring joy and play a bit.
Then you might see it alone, even almost in hiding.
But it is always there, somehow, somewhere.”
Oona Colliander, Creative Director,
San Francisco Agency
San Francisco Agency brand renewal: evolution – not a revolution
In the words of James C. Fletcher, the administrator of NASA back in 1975 when the agency got its new visual communication system, “we move ahead to an even more exciting era of our agency by adding a new tool to enhance and symbolize our progressive path we have always followed.”
Unlike at NASA, this tool, San Francisco Agency’s new brand, is co-created by its users, like every major decision we make in the company, in a democratic and transparent way. Modern tools and processes made it possible for the whole team to participate in brand work instead of a designer or an agency creating it from scratch in their sacred chambers. This way, the team takes ownership of the brand, and the designer’s role is not to be a bottleneck.
During the brand renewal process, in addition to creating a new visual identity and website, we also crystallized our core: why we exist, how we work, and what it is we do. The work was led by San Francisco’s Creative Director Oona Colliander and conducted together with Jeremiah Tesolin and Jonathan Barck from the Bay Area network.
What we are made of: humanity and performance
San Francisco as an agency is built on two fundamental characteristics: humanity and performance. These two words have a direct effect on how we behave and communicate, and they form our visual identity.
Humanity represents being based in the Nordics and living with Nordic values in mind in the form of transparency, transparency, and working with a high degree of integrity.
Performance is rooted within the agency’s experience from Silicon Valley. A mindset geared toward impact and achieving results for our clients. Our brand is inspired by the 11-degree streets of San Francisco – our line.
We hope that as our client, partner, friend, or future acquaintance, you get these vibes from us.
Do you have feedback for us?
NASA’s Mr. Fletcher also points out that in order to succeed, we need to all work together to see that the specifics are diligently monitored to ensure that standards of excellence are maintained.
In honor of our values, honesty, curiosity, and positive impact – and as it is indeed 2023 and not 1975 – we would be more than happy to receive feedback on our new brand and its different assets.
The brand project is ready, but work continues, and our brand will continue developing. Please reach out and let us know your thoughts!
