Our goal for Sweden Sans was to design a typeface that is distinct, plays well with other typefaces, but also works well alone. It also has to be simple and flexible, so that it can unambiguously convey the 50+ translations of “Sverige” into local languages. I kept my early sketches very rough, in order to rapidly prototype many versions. We wanted to design a modern typeface but also with a clear Scandinavian heritage.

We decided to go with a design inspired by classic Swedish street signs, with blended mono-type and sans-serif accents that clearly show a Scandinavian heritage. We added design details such as a stroke through the zero, mono-like serifs on the i and j, and a filled ring on the å.

On the whole it has been working great and the feedback is very positive.

Sweden.se and work.sweden.se and soon also the Swedish embassy sites are using it online.

Printed matters for projects such as Swedish Design goes Milan and other huge events using the typeface also describe the outcome as very positive.