Carolina J. Säll

Magaloogi

Magaloogi — Crafting a Visual Identity Rooted in Memory

Project Overview

Magaloogi is a Swedish brand centered around transforming meaningful textiles into new, lasting pieces. The assignment focused on developing a logo and supporting visual components that reflect craftsmanship, warmth, and emotional value — while maintaining clarity and modern usability.

The goal was to create a mark that feels personal and tactile, yet structured enough to function across digital and physical applications.

The Challenge

Magaloogi operates in a space that is deeply emotional. The logo needed to communicate:

  • Handcrafted quality

  • Care and softness

  • Sustainability and reuse

  • Trust and professionalism

The risk was leaning too soft and becoming hobby-like — or too rigid and losing the emotional warmth. The balance had to be intentional.

 

My Role

I was responsible for:

  • Logo concept development

  • Typography selection

  • Symbol exploration

  • Defining logo usage rules

 

 

Exploration & Early Sketches

Before arriving at the final logo, we explored a range of visual directions focusing on color, balance, and emotional tone.

The early explorations tested:

  • Different background shapes behind the wordmark

  • Variations in color (beige, green, pink)

  • Placement and treatment of the tagline

  • Contrast levels between type and shape

  • How the logo behaves on packaging and labels

Shape Exploration

One core idea from the beginning was placing the wordmark on top of an organic shape. The intention was to introduce softness and reference textile forms without becoming illustrative.

We explored:

  • Rounder, cloud-like shapes

  • Tighter oval forms

  • More abstract and irregular silhouettes

Through testing, it became clear that the shape needed to feel natural — not decorative. It had to support the typography, not compete with it.

Color Direction

Several color options were tested to understand the emotional impact:

  • Beige — calm, neutral, timeless

  • Green — sustainability, renewal, growth

  • Pink — warmth, care, softness

While the pink added warmth, it shifted the brand too far into a playful or gift-focused direction. Beige felt refined but lacked distinctiveness. The green provided the strongest connection to sustainability and gave the brand a clearer identity.

This testing phase helped clarify what Magaloogi should feel like — not just what it should look like.

Application Testing

The logo was also tested early on in context:

  • Hanging tags

  • Packaging

  • Multiple logo color variations

  • Light and dark backgrounds

Seeing the mark in use helped determine legibility, contrast, and scalability. It confirmed that the bold serif wordmark could carry the identity across formats.

Key Insight

The exploration phase reinforced one central idea:

The typography needed to remain the hero.

The organic shape should enhance the emotional tone — not overpower it. Simplifying the shape and committing to a confident color direction ultimately led to the final logo.

Concept & Direction

The foundation of the identity is playfulness.

A bold, high-contrast serif typeface was chosen to give the brand authority and presence. The exaggerated curves and sharp serifs create personality, while the strong weight ensures recognizability.

To counterbalance the typographic strength, an organic green shape sits behind the center of the name. This shape references:

  • Fabric movement

  • Textile forms

  • Natural renewal

  • Something handcrafted rather than constructed

The contrast between the strict letterforms and the soft, imperfect shape mirrors the brand’s essence: structure meets memory.

 

The Tagline

“– dina minnen i ny form”
(“– your memories in new form”)

The tagline is set in a light, clean sans-serif. This creates hierarchy and calm beneath the expressive wordmark. It grounds the logo and clarifies the brand promise without competing visually.

The dash at the beginning acts as a subtle continuation — reinforcing the idea that Magaloogi transforms something existing into something new.

Color Strategy

Green was chosen as the primary accent color to signal:

  • Sustainability

  • Growth and renewal

  • A natural connection to materials

The deep black wordmark ensures contrast and readability, while the muted green avoids feeling overly decorative.

The logo works in:

  • Full color

  • Black

  • Reversed/monochrome versions

Ensuring flexibility across print, digital, and textile applications.

Result

The final logo gives Magaloogi a confident and recognizable identity. It feels expressive without being chaotic. Emotional without being fragile. Structured without being cold.

Most importantly, it reflects the brand’s purpose: taking something meaningful and giving it new form — visually and physically.

   

Reflection

This project reinforced the power of story-led design — demonstrating that when a brand communicates emotional value clearly and authentically, every interaction becomes more meaningful. Magaloogi is more than a textile business: it’s a curator of people’s cherished memories, given new form through creativity and care.

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