Gothenburg's 400th Anniversary
My most rewarding project so far has been working as part of the communications team for Gothenburg’s 400th-anniversary celebration in 2023. My hometown turned 400, and it was an honor to contribute to the festivities by art directing and designing the event.
With the trust and support of the exceptional team at Gothenburg & Co, I got to formulate this hand-drawn and colorful style that was meant to portray a celebration of Gothenburg in all its glory. I explored and learned new skills, such as art directing an AR project and decorating the entire city. To ensure everyone felt welcome and included, accessibility was a priority in every production.
Scroll down to see some highlights from the project.
Illustration style
The visual design needed to be joyful, celebratory, welcoming, and distinctly Gothenburg. You may wonder what characterizes Gothenburg: beyond its urban landmarks, the city is known for its humor, sea and harbor, and its warm and unpretentious people (despite the cold, rainy climate). With these qualities in mind, I illustrated a vibrant world of colors and shapes, creating a foundation for the rest of the visual work.
Soft gradients and ragged illustrations were meant to mirror the warm and whimsical spirit of the city.
Web design
The style was adapted for the website, which was challenging because of the existing site's structure. By focusing on the landing page, we changed background colors, added new blocks and illustrations to create a more vibrant and festive appearance compared to the previous version.
CREDITS
Web design: Hannah Håkansson & Elvira Sandell
Web production manager: Oskar Allerby
Web development: Stefan Vikberg with his team at Valentin Experience
Video campaigns
The celebration began with a four-day festival and continued throughout the summer with various activities. The final weekend culminated in a grand celebration featuring a mix of major events. These are short video ads, one for each phase of the celebration, combining illustrations with live footage for a comprehensive overview.
Using AR as part of a campaign
Creative director and digital concept developer Johan De Paoli sought to explore AR as a marketing tool. We teamed up and decided to animate the iconic Gothenburg cranes to humorously inform the audience about festival events that couldn't be included on the billboard posters.
Print and displays
This project involved nearly every aspect of graphic design production. One major component was venue dressing, as well as producing printed brochures that were sent to every household in the larger Gothenburg area. There is too much to showcase on a single page from this project, so here is just a glimpse of some productions.
