In 2017 I was asked by NordicBet Brand Manager Ismail Valli to look over the existing brand guidelines for NordicBet. We had come to realise that they were totally inadequate for a modern sportsbook and casino brand, having being cobbled together by a production agency in support of a limited-lifetime campaign execution around a split-screen concept they had produced. My first task was to identify what the NordicBet brand actually stood for, and we carried out a series of brand workshops to determine the brand values and pillars for the work ahead.
Brand workshop results
Once we had established these we could begin work on the brand attributes and brand promise, and begin to understand the customer segmentation which would be crucial in our work around tonality and visual design.
Graphic identity refresh
We wanted to keep some of the elements of the existing brand, which had been around since it was first created in Tromsö in 2002. The blue colour and the logo were immediately recognisable, so they each received only a subtle refresh, as did the typography. We created a system for award and sponsorship lockups, as well as product logos, as a compliment to the brand logotype.
New brand guidelines
NordicBet had a proud tradition of brand ambassadors and sponsorships, and we worked closely with Mikkel Kessler, Leo Komarov, Mix Diskerud and Simon Kjaer, as well as sporting events and leagues, to underpin the brand promise of being close to the action. We also created a format for sponsorship and campaign logo lockups.
Image style guidelines
We travelled to Stockholm for a five day sportsbook photoshoot to build an image bank worthy of the new brand visual identity. Working with photographer Johan Annerfelt at Infinity Studios we produced thousands of images, specifically created to be brandable for other sportsbooks, not just NordicBet. We wanted to avoid the cliched stock imagery used by most of our competitors, so casting models with authentic sports ability, and a careful attention to the lighting design were crucial to the production's success.
The new casino graphic style guide
Although NordicBet is primarily known as a sportsbook brand, we naturally also had to take casino into consideration, so we applied the same design excellence principles here as well, to ensure that we stood out against the competition in this important product category.
Website and banner graphics
We dug right down into the DNA of the brand to ensure that all touchpoints refelected the new brand identity and tonality, ensuring that NordicBet spoke with one voice everywhere it was encountered. The brand guidelines created in-house under my direction served the NordicBet brand faithfully and consistently until the brand was revisted for a refresh in 2022.
New ambassador image style
We carried out a hockey shoot in Finland's capital Helsinki with brand ambassador and Finnish hockey icon Leo Komarov.
Photoshoot with NordicBet ambassador Simon Kjaer carried out in Seville.