The Challenge
Our challenge was to re-position SKF from a traditional manufacturing business to a premium business at the cutting edge of innovation and sustainability, while honouring over 100 years of pioneering history and respecting cultural differences across 130 markets.
The Solution
SKF operates in an industry that hasn’t seen the value in brand building. Its identity was outdated and confusing. It didn’t reflect SKF’s pioneering past or its future vision, and it wasn’t optimised for digital communication. We did have one thing to work with—SKF’s quirky and unique logo, designed in 1908 and largely unchanged since. We created a bold new identity based on a subtly updated logo, a related display typeface, a striking new colour palette, more distinct imagery and a new emphasis on motion. The result feels like SKF, but re-invented for a new era. Already, we’re seeing media coverage, SoMe engagement and web traffic up significantly. The creative idea was to re-kindle the unique iconic spirit of the original logo and enlist that spirit to update the entire brand identity, to create a future-facing, dynamic design system that embodies SKF’s brand promise of “fighting friction to move the world forward”