On behalf of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket), I had the opportunity to lead an extensive assignment in late 2008 through Cloudberry Communications, examining how Sweden’s national parks are understood, experienced, and valued by the public and selected stakeholder groups. The resulting report, delivered in December 2008, aimed to inform future development of a unified identity for Sweden’s national parks—a task that required both analytical rigour and cultural sensitivity.
Our work was commissioned as part of Naturvårdsverket’s broader ambition to strengthen the national parks’ profile in connection with the 100th anniversary of Sweden’s first national parks, established in 1909. The objective was not only to assess public awareness or visitation statistics, but to provide a deeper understanding of the symbolic, practical and emotional meanings associated with national parks. The report subsequently served as the basis for a national design competition launched in 2009.
The Analytical Framework
The assignment was carried out through a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. These included in-depth interviews, focus groups, workshops, and a nationwide survey. Fieldwork was also central to the approach: we visited several national parks across Sweden and spoke directly with visitors, local stakeholders, and park managers. This gave us a grounded, place-sensitive perspective on how the parks are encountered in practice and the values and expectations they inspire.
The analysis was framed by a recognition that Sweden’s national parks serve multiple roles simultaneously: as protected natural habitats, public recreational spaces, and symbols of national and ecological identity. These overlapping roles demand a communication strategy that is both nuanced and accessible—one that can engage different audiences without compromising on substance.
Key Findings:
- High General Support, Low Specific Awareness: While the idea of national parks enjoyed strong public approval, few participants could accurately distinguish them from other forms of nature protection. The concept of a “national park” was often interpreted more broadly than its legal and ecological definition.
- Barriers to Visitation: Many respondents expressed a desire to visit national parks more often but cited practical barriers such as travel distance, unclear information, or a perception that the parks were primarily for “serious” nature enthusiasts. Families with children, new Swedes, and younger urban residents in particular expressed uncertainty about what the parks offered.
- Symbolic Importance for Stakeholders: For environmental organisations and park managers, the parks were seen as the “crown jewels” of nature conservation in Sweden—flagship areas that deserved greater recognition and a stronger public profile.
- Support for a Shared Identity: Across both public and professional audiences, there was significant support for a more coherent and recognisable identity for the national parks. Such an identity was seen as key to increasing engagement, strengthening legitimacy, and differentiating the parks within a broader landscape of protected areas.
- Desirable Identity Attributes: Respondents emphasised values such as authenticity, ecological integrity, knowledge, accessibility, and inspiration. These values provided a narrative and visual framework for the identity development that followed.
Taken together, the findings underscore the need for a strategic identity that conveys both the uniqueness and unity of Sweden’s national parks—anchored in scientific credibility, yet emotionally resonant and publicly inviting.
From Analysis to Implementation: The Identity Competition
In spring 2009, Naturvårdsverket launched a national design competition to develop a visual and communicative identity for the parks, grounded in the insights provided by our report. Five multidisciplinary teams were selected through a prequalification process, and the competition brief was explicitly based on the analytical framework we had developed.
In November 2009, the jury announced the winning proposal: Kronjuveler (Crown Jewels), submitted by Happy F&B in collaboration with White Arkitekter and Forsman & Bodenfors Factory. The proposal was praised for its clarity, warmth, and operability. It successfully reinterpreted the existing snowflake symbol—long associated with protected nature in Sweden—into a crown motif that conveyed both national pride and natural splendour.
“The proposal is operational and communicates with joy and engagement,” the jury concluded. “It is simple to understand and can be used across multiple contexts.”
The Kronjuveler concept was subsequently adopted as the new identity platform for Sweden’s national parks, setting a new standard for how protected nature could be communicated in a contemporary, accessible and symbolically rich way.
Dagens Media previewed the initiative in September 2008:
Nationalparkerna ska få gemensam identitet
https://www.dagensmedia.se/alla-nyheter/nyheter/nationalparkerna-ska-fa-gemensam-identitet/
