Design agency

What does a design agency do?

A design agency shapes how a brand looks and moves, and builds the assets that make it recognisable over time. That covers logo, colour and typography, but also packaging, digital interfaces and motion. An advertising agency usually works in campaigns. A design agency works on what has to last for years.

At IW Agency, design starts with strategy. Design without strategy is decoration. Every choice of form, colour and type rests on insight into your audience and your business goals. We work across four disciplines that belong to one system.

Visual identity

A clear visual identity makes a brand easier to choose. Before we design, we settle the brand platform and the design direction, so the identity carries the strategy at every touchpoint. You get a logo and symbol system, colour and typography, image and illustration principles, and graphic elements, plus guidelines and support through implementation. More on what makes an identity recognisable.

Packaging design

Packaging is often a brand's most contested surface. We design packs that make the position clear, stand out on shelf and strengthen the sense of quality, balancing aesthetics, function and commercial clarity. The work spans packaging concepts, labels and product graphics, in-store materials and adaptation for different markets. The shelf is increasingly digital too: see how to design packaging for shoppers on phones and AI agents.

Digital design

Good digital design simplifies decisions and builds trust. We start from user behaviour and your business goals, and work closely with development so the design holds up in code as well as in concept. This includes web design and UX/UI, app and product design, brand design systems, landing pages, and templates for social media and ads.

Motion design

Motion is part of the brand, not an add-on. We build movement into the visual system from the start, following the same logic as the rest of the identity, so it strengthens recognition and makes complex offers easier to grasp. You get a motion identity, logo animations, campaign and social video, and explainer films.

Selected work

Our cases follow one pattern. A business problem first, then design that answers it.

Ballerina: a classic that had lost touch

Ballerina is a classic Swedish biscuit that had gradually lost its connection with its audience. The task was to breathe new life into the brand. For an FMCG classic, that is a balancing act: the renewal has to be noticed, but recognition can't be lost.

Gustavsberg: from professionals to inspiration

Gustavsberg was a functional brand that mainly served professionals. The question was how it could start inspiring people without losing what made it strong. That takes an expression that speaks to a new audience while keeping the trust of the old one.

Nordic Nest: from online shop to brand experience

Our brief was to turn Designonline.com from a generic online shopping platform into a premium brand experience. Out of that work came Nordic Nest. It shows how identity and digital design together can give a shop a brand of its own.

More work

Morakniv stands for quality in a world that increasingly compromises. With Arla, we have worked since 2007 to evolve the product portfolio. For Google, we brought a more human perspective on technology to Almedalen. Browse all our work.

How do we work?

We work in five steps, from business goals to long-term stewardship. Each step tests the design against three questions: where the brand is heading, whether the expression can be built on, and whether it holds up in the real world. Direction. System. Reality.

1. Understand the business. We start with position, audience and goals. This is where we decide what the design has to achieve.

2. Set the direction. Brand platform and design direction are settled before we design. If the strategy is missing, we start there, with our Strategy work.

3. Design and test. We design against real applications: pack, screen, sign. An identity that only works in a presentation doesn't work.

4. Build the system. Guidelines, templates and design systems let more people produce the brand consistently, long after we have left the room.

5. Roll out and maintain. We support implementation, so the expression holds in production, technology and everyday use.

Throughout, we work closely with you through workshops and ongoing dialogue.

Why IW Agency?

IW has worked with brands and design since 1992. The agency was founded as Identity Works and became IW Agency in 2025. Today we are around 50 people across Strategy, Design and Comms.

• Strategy and design under one roof. The same team develops the direction and the form, so nothing gets lost when strategy becomes expression.

• Systems, not one-off deliverables. Identity, digital design and packaging are built to work together, and to keep working as the brand grows.

From our office in Stockholm, we work with clients across Sweden, the Nordics and internationally.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a visual identity cost?

Scope drives price. A new logo with guidelines is a smaller job than a full identity system with packaging, digital interfaces and motion. The number of brands and products matters, as do the markets and languages involved. Rollout weighs heavily too: how many surfaces need changing and how much implementation support you need.

How long does a design project take?

The same factors drive time, plus your organisation's decision process. With a clear brand platform in place, design can start straight away. If strategy comes first, that phase is added. A large range or many markets lengthen the rollout, which often takes longer than the design itself.

Do I need a brand strategy before design starts?

Yes, if the design is to do its job. Without a clear position, choices of form and colour become a matter of taste. If you have a platform, we test whether it is strong enough to design from. If not, we build it first.

Can you renew an identity without starting over?

Often that is the wiser route. With Champis, the question was how a slumbering classic could become iconic and relevant without losing its heritage. With Lurpak, the task was to make a brand built on 120 years of craft ready for the future.

Will AI replace design agencies?

No. AI can produce material fast, but it cannot decide what your brand should stand for. When everyone can produce, distinction is worth more. Read what a brand is worth when everyone can design.

Shall we talk design?

Facing a new identity, a packaging range or a digital design system? We would be glad to show you how we would approach it.

Get in touch: hello@iwagency.com or +46 8 506 360 00.