Jakob Trollbäck: Brands with curiosity built in, naturally draw people in.

Jakob is highly regarded in the design industry, and he is known for his innovative spirit, strategic thinking, and dedication to creating impactful and engaging experiences.

He has been involved in various high-profile projects, including the creation of brand identities for television networks like HBO and BBC, as well as collaborations with organizations such as the United Nations on initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is recognized for his emphasis on simplicity, purpose-driven design, and the integration of beauty and logic into branding and communication efforts.

We met Jakob Trollbäck during a project we did with our client Stina from Yennenga Progress and we asked him to chat with us about his career, his thoughts about design, and branding.

Iñaki: What are some key influences or values that have shaped your approach to creativity and branding?

Jakob: One pivotal starting point was the influence of my father, who had a passion for chess, logic, and philosophy. Whenever conflicts arose, he would offer quotes from philosophers. This upbringing instilled in me a curiosity to explore ideas and concepts, to engage in mental gymnastics, if you will. Work is not mostly about output for me; it’s about the process of figuring things out. Everything we create, and every human achievement adds to the complexity of life. Whether it’s the intricate compositions of Bach or the syncopation of Latin music, we are drawn to complexity because it challenges and captivates us. It puts a spark in our neurons. Despite the drawbacks of some of our creations, the collective effort of humanity in shaping societies, infrastructures, and technologies is nothing short of spectacular.

Another aspect I care deeply about is our interconnectedness and sense of belonging. We seek to feel loved and understood, to find our place in the world. This urge for connection is crucial to understand. We see it manifested in movements across the world, and it also relates to brand building which is only about crafting a personality that people can relate to and be inspired by.

I’ve always said that whenever you’re going to market yourself, you have to be generous.

You should always give people something. The gifting is especially true when it comes to copywriting. You are creating stories, and they have to be engaging. Just like telling a joke, you set up a premise and deliver a twist, leaving interpretation up to the audience. Brands built with curiosity draw people in, sparking intrigue and connection.

However, brand building doesn’t start with hiring agencies or designers; it starts with cultivating a compelling identity and purpose.

It’s like hosting a party: you can have all the right elements, but without genuine enthusiasm and substance, it falls flat. At my studio in New York, we spend a lot of time laying the groundwork for brands long before any external communication begins.

Iñaki: Could you share some insights into the journey of establishing your design company and how your approach to branding evolved?

Jakob: In 1999, when I established my company in New York, I had already spent seven years in the city. Initially, I was drawn to the vibrancy and abundance that the big American city offered, but over time, I grew weary of the noise and excess. I wanted to create space around the brands we partnered with, moving away from superficial decoration in design.

If something lacked purpose, it had to go, it was just noise.

This meant cutting through the noise of long briefs and challenging designers to justify their choices based on a genuine core. I’d question why a particular color or shape or typeface was chosen or why on earth there was a leaf in a design — every element had to serve a meaningful purpose that expressed the brand’s identity. This approach attracted clients who were looking for genuine brand development. Initially, we worked with many TV networks.

Many of them lacked foundational brand work and strategy, relying on guesswork rather than making informed decisions. We closed the gap by becoming adept at conducting thorough interviews and research to build the core of each brand. Despite our roots in animation and motion graphics, we evolved into a robust branding studio, creating brands from the ground up and launching numerous TV networks, films, and conferences. Our focus was always on distilling the essence of each brand and communicating it effectively.

I’ve had the opportunity to teach at Parsons for a while, although not extensively. After some time, I realized that my studio offered a more receptive environment for teaching. I found it frustrating that many in the design classes were overly concerned with self-expression. The curriculum I inherited focused on personal projects, akin to an art class.

To me, design is about conveying thoughts so that they evoke emotion and create understanding.

It’s always about creating a resonance through the design, whether it’s a subway map or a brand identity.

I like to say that art is a feeling that makes you think, and design is a thought that should make you feel. Despite claims that everything has been done, there’s always room for originality. At my studio, we’re constantly striving for new ideas. I’m allergic to trends because they become outdated so quickly. For instance, in the early 2000s, we pioneered flat Eames-esque graphics for a TV network — TV Land. It was a departure from the prevalent aesthetic at the time but became trendy very quickly. Many emulated our flat graphic style, but we left it immediately. To us, it was done and we swiftly moved on to new concepts. We continued our exploration of new territories, drawing inspiration from diverse sources like photographers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers.

Creativity is about discovering new transformative ideas that communicate effectively while sparking something unique and unexpected in people’s minds.

Iñaki: Could you tell us about your involvement with the UN Sustainable Goals?

Jakob: It all started with a meeting at my office with Richard Curtis, the film director behind such movies as Love, Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral. We were discussing another project with him, and when the meeting was over he asked me if I could hang on for 10 minutes. He had a crazy idea.

He knew that the UN was launching 17 goals in a year, saying that it might be the last chance we have to save the planet. He said that it would surely fail if we couldn’t make it popular. Would I help him? That was it. We started directly.

The document outlining the goals was overwhelming like someone had sprayed lots of words onto it. I decided to simplify it by jotting new names in the margins and giving each goal a nickname to make it more manageable. I shared these with my design partner, Christina Rüuegg-Grässli, who started sketching based on the nicknames. We aimed for simplicity, drawing inspiration from everyday symbols. Christina’s sketch of a fish with two squiggly lines as water captured the essence perfectly. From there, we focused on simple shapes, colors, and typography, aiming for clarity and economy of space.

We presented our ideas to the UN, where Richard Curtis’s reputation had opened the doors. The UN team was relieved to see that it may be possible to communicate the plan, something many had doubted, saying it had too many goals, and being too complex.

Over the next four months, we fine-tuned our designs, eventually realizing we needed a larger color palette — we had started with six. It took us a couple of months to do it. We wanted each color and goal to be distinct, with their own unique identity. At the same time, the 17 colors had to look great together. Everything I create must have a certain beauty to it; otherwise, I’m not interested. Also, we couldn’t use purple. Why? Because neither Christina nor I really like purple. It can be used on rare occasions but is a challenging color. It is stuck between wanting to be red and wanting to be blue, resulting in this odd hue without a home. It’s a very peculiar color. It was perfect for Prince though.

Regarding the names of the goals, nine of the names we suggested in the initial presentation survived, while we had to adjust eight of them. It was a bit annoying, but that’s just how it goes when dealing with clients. It doesn’t change just because you are working to save the planet. All in all, it was a challenging but rewarding journey, and the UN team treated us like communication rockstars which was fun. I guess we were, to them anyway.

It was an incredible experience that taught me the power of simplicity and collaboration in tackling global challenges.

Iñaki: What are you working on at the moment?

Jakob: Now, about where I am today. I mentioned earlier that the first principle at my agency was to discard everything that means nothing. Later, I added another principle, which became our tagline: Beauty + Logic.

Beauty and logic represent the emotional and cognitive aspects, respectively. However, when the logic is right, there’s also beauty in it, and there’s beauty in simplicity.

It’s like Japanese craftsmanship, where things are precisely what they need to be — completely functional and elegant.

I also started a Swedish company focused on communicating sustainability and Making Change Attractive. Still, it’s not really about sustainability; it’s about making sense of things. Our planet has been running on bad equations for too long. If we care about beauty in our equations, and in the way we do things, we’ll naturally work for sustainability. On a basic level, they align because caring about beauty means avoiding ugly things, like injustice, child labor, or environmental pollution.

I think sustainability has a storytelling problem. What do you think?

Jakob: With the Green Movement’s storytelling, there’s a dualism at play. On one hand, we need to motivate action, which often requires emphasizing the negative impacts of inaction. But on the other hand, there’s a need to present a compelling narrative about a better world, one that people can easily embrace.

Ultimately, change needs to be attractive. That’s the key.

About the IDGs, yes, I’m involved in them as well. It all started when Hannah and I met Eric Fern Hall at an event. We discussed the inner part of the SDGs, the part that many don’t understand. We questioned why there aren’t inner global goals. We thought it was a brilliant idea. So, we collaborated with the Oak Island Foundation to develop a framework inspired by the SDGs. We’ve been involved in creating categories, refining language, and ensuring that the framework is inclusive and easy to understand.

Currently, we’re working on biodiversity initiatives, following the conclusion of the SDGs. We’ve launched the main logo for it and will soon start developing the targets. Additionally, I dream of working on communication language for the Declaration of Human Rights, as it should be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

In summary, there’s still much to be done, but I’m excited about the progress we’ve made and the impact we can continue to have.

Thank you Jakob for sharing with us your experience, your philosophy and your wisdom.