Valinge Gård

Assignment

Valinge Gård is a historic estate outside Nyköping, Sweden, which has been in the same family since 1795. Its activities include residential lettings, forestry, apple cultivation, and the leasing of agricultural land, as well as hunting and fishing.

As the estate expanded into organic apple cultivation, with ambitions to introduce further products, it needed a brand that could extend beyond the estates current activities and work across different products in a consumer-facing retail environment.

The assignment was to create the complete brand identity, from logo and visual language to website and imagery.

Solution

Rather than creating a contemporary identity for a historic estate, the ambition was almost the opposite: to create a brand that felt as though it had existed for generations.

The process began with research into graphic design from the late 18th and 19th centuries, establishing the historical and visual foundation for the identity.

At the heart of the estate stands a majestic lime tree, believed to be around 650 years old. It was already standing when the manor was built in 1800 and has remained a symbol and source of pride for Valinge Gård ever since. The lime tree therefore became the natural centrepiece of the logo, framed by a simple oval form rooted in 19th-century graphic tradition. The name Valinge Gård is set in distinctive capital letters, while the visual language draws on the character of traditional copperplate engraving.

A typeface with roots in the same period completes the identity, creating an expression that feels established and timeless – inherited rather than invented. Photography and film were developed as an integral part of the identity, capturing the estate, its surroundings and its produce.

Outcome

The resulting identity is firmly rooted in the history of Valinge Gård while reflecting what the estate stands for today: authenticity, quality, craftsmanship and a close connection to the land.

The identity was applied across wooden apple crates, signage, printed communication, photography, film and the website, creating a coherent brand experience from the estate itself to the consumer.