Political Tea - Flower Power is back (but in other ways that you would expect it)

Because there were election in Sweden (on Sunday, 19th) i found it appropriate to write about a subject I've been meaning to write since Stockholm's Pride Parade. I won't write about politics, but i will write about the image (purely graphic) of the parties in Sweden.
This is how the general picture looks like (the 8th most important parties):
There are a lot of flowers, don't you think? Let's just take them one by one.

Moderate Party:

The logo itself expresses moderation and connection. You could even say peace, because there is always a line and a circumstance that can unify different opinion. The only problem i have with this logo is that resembles with a Metro (subway) entrance.

The Liberal Party:

Almost looks like a flower blooming, growing, expanding. And I think the colors are important here. Two shades of blue says "we can live together".


The Center Party:

The problem i have is that it's not at all centered. It's a little to the left. But it's still from floral/ vegetal inspiration.



The Christian Democrats:

Also a flower, but i don't know the background of it's meaning. Maybe it is a symbol.




The Social Democratic Party:

This and the Moderate Party are the only logos that doesn't come any close to a floral motive. But nevertheless is very expressive and memorable one. It has written social all over.
A friend of mine suggested that this is a rose. And it's normal to be, because social democrats usually have a rose for a symbol. But most of the time is a plain rose, sometimes hold in a hand. In the light of the new discovery I like it even better - it's so abstract, it's a representation of a symbol, it's more than the original. And the social component is there also. So another flower on the roll. But this time it talks.

The Green Party:

A flower, of course. And a very common one. Why do you think they chose this?




The Left Party:

V comes from "vänster" the swedish word for left. The motif is also a flower.




The Sweden Democrats:

QED





In the end it would be interesting to analyze the colors (4 blue, 2 green and 2 red) and to measure the white space in the design and also the flower shape. What exactly do they stand for. But i think you can recognize for yourself the flower type and have your own image attached to it.

What was surprising for me is this picture taken at Pride Parade in Stockholm 2010:

As you can see there are the Social Democrat, Green and Left Parties logos, only adapted to the parade. And this is when questions started to come (without knowing what they really stand for, i found out later). I think the initiative is very good, and there is one more thing that is to appreciate: they are recognizable! Which i think is a great deal.

And I will add this for the friends that will say i discriminated against the Pirate Party, but i don't think they have a voice.








The source for this article (both graphical and informational) is the official Guide to Sweden.

The best logo in Stockholm

We have 2 winners:
One is for best word play, and second is for the design and symbol. I didn’t found a logo that is outstanding and has a good, clear and innovative communication.

The brand that made me smile is Stockhome. It’s so inspired and catchy. “Making Stockholm your home” – just great (this is not their official slogan, it's just my interpretation of the meaning). But it has no graphic representation other then their choice of font and dimension.
Here goes:


The best symbol:
I love the design of this. It’s a symbol for renting bicycles. I love the lines, the light and the power of expression.


And here is the actually rent place. You have a card and you just get a bike.

Stockholm, the city of crowns

This is the brand of Stockholm - The Capital of Scandinavia.

As you can see the symbol used is the crown. And apparently for good reason. The symbol of crown is very much used in all levels of design in Stockholm. There is also the 3 crowns version. Actually the 3 crown symbol (Tre Kronor) is the national symbol of Sweden. I like the theory which says that each crown represents a kingdom, but you can see more here.
Coming back to Stockholm. This is official design for the city material:



You can see the crown design in architecture and building decorations:


And other city materials:

And then you can see in the official logo of Police, Post and Transport Administration:



Trafikvert - Swedish Transport Administration. I find in this a very powerful logo design. Besides the elements integrated in the logo i see a tiger face smiling and ready to jump. Dynamic is the word you want people to think when you are a transport company.

And here am some brands that use it:

WASA - has the crown integrated in the logo design. But the actual crown is made of wheat.

Nordiska Kristall. I personally like very much this logo. Integrates the crown with the meaning of powerful cuts and also crystal working.










And products:

Sunset Sea

I love this logo. It’s so simple, so unrefined, but it has a lot to say. You have the sunset (the red circle), you have the sea (the anchor) , and they are well assembled.


Seaside Söder Stockholm.

Branding NORTH

In the middle of the Central Station in Stockholm there is a round panoramic view, cut to see in the floor below.
On each side of the space there are some very interesting figures and representations. My guess is that they actually represent direction, but i don't have any confirmation yet.
So on the side that there are some african statues i guess there is south, and on the exact opposite side with the Eskimos and a seal, i suppose is north.
Take a look of how nice they are, how they change the feeling of the place and how great are representations rather the words or directions.