1984-1989: Agera Advertising Agency
Story: After som years of random freelancing for all the advertising agencies in town, I ended up employed at one of them – Kentab. The year after we established a new agency together – Agera. I was suddenly an owner and CEO. Marie was employed, Fredrik was employed and then Carl. Great years, great clients, great colleagues and great fun.
All available jobs within ASEA – we published them first.
Västerås Waste Management
My hometown's waste management company became a client for many years. Somehow my interest for the environment was born and the CEO Per Nilsson was really keen to let us have a lot of fun while creating information material on how the company could provide the citizens with better service in order to help them manage their waste.
The waste company expanded their service with a scheduled "pick up" service for electronic waste as well as chemical fluids, paints, oils ectc. A Climate Truck was ordered and we designed it...
In connection with that we also produced information brochures for households with handy tips on how to deal with the waste, how to compost food scraps and when the Climate Truck was around "your hoods".
Printed on paper made of 100% recycled news papers of course...
Two simple large size stickers for the garbage trucks in town turned int o a series of some 20 different versions that were also used as ads.
Skultuna – Brass manufacturer from 1607.
Demands for quality and craftsman ship have pioneered Skultuna Messingsbruk through centuries. Brass from Skultuna is hallmarked with the Royal Swedish Crown and the year 1607. Skultuna is a purveyor to H.M. the King of Sweden.
Skultuna was a client for several years and we produced their information material – design, photo, copy, printing etc.
Taking photos of reflecting light sensitive shining objects was indeed a challenge. If you didn't see your own face in the object, your fingerprint could pop up on them when you got the films back from the lab. No digital cameras at that time... I learned a lot side-by-side by the photographer Lennart Hyse.
Frösåker – a new top notch golf course
At Frösåker the family Rahl took the steps from farming to golf course management. The beautiful fields and forests of their land was carefully crafted into a top notch golf course which was quickly ranked to be one of the best in the country. We were invited to create the logo and the marketing material as well as being part of the opening ceremony production.
The old barn built by Russian war prisoners was transformed into a shop, a club house, a restaurant as swell as the garage needed for all the tractors and machinery for the maintenance of the golf course. Farmer Christer Rahl and Golf Pro Jan Andhagen were the brave entrepreneur duo turning farmland into a 18 + 9 high class golf course.
We surprised the media and the audience at the opening ceremoni. The driver was missing in the event's guest celebrity' Kenta Nilsson's golfbag at the first tee. He did not know, but were as shocked as everybody else when parachute jumper Göran Widenby and his photographer Peter Degerfelt landed right on the tee with Kenta's driver in his hand... We express-produced a slideshow with more jumping images and images from the competition during the day, and showed at the opening dinner the same evening. Quite a successful launch for a golf course rookie...to surprise he distinguished guests and media and to make the cover of the major Golf Magazine.
We designed the logo, produced all the marketing material, member newsletter and were also engaged with the design and production of signs for the course.
Swedish handicraft
The Swedish Handicraft Association consisted of a network of independent producers and shops. They did work under the expression "hemsljöjd" (handicraft). They wanted to convey a more updated image, leaning more towards "design" than only "craft". Approaching a younger audience. We created a new name, a branding concept, a logo and the conceptual design package for the first pilot shop in Sweden.
We pushed for more storytelling about each product. Convinced that a good story would make it possible to raise the price. How was this tree was found, who found it , and where, and what carving and sanding techniques has been used before the final touch?
Virsbo Bruk Foundry
Being a 25 years old white collar advertising agency employee, meeting up with the hard working people at the foundry in Virsbo, was a harsh reality check...and an awakening. We produced their marketing material and chose to focus on the competence of the skilled people and their genuine craftsmanship and experience rather than the mega capacity of their huge machinery investments.
Sketching the logo into the streets, we also made one full-fledge branding test in a store in Visby on Gotland.
