SOLVANG, CA

City of Solvang

SNAPSHOT
150+ unique shops

2.4 square miles

112 years of history

It’s not every day you get to rebrand a whole town. But that’s exactly what we did for the Denmark-derived town of Solvang in Southern California. From branding to merchant partnerships to a bespoke cross-town scavenger hunt, we made Solvang a must-visit destination for any time of year.

A vintage green car parked in front of a Danish bakery with a Tudor-style exterior house painted in white and dark wood trim, with outdoor tables and lampposts.

An elderly man with white hair and a beard, wearing a cap, yellow shirt, red bow tie, and colorful vest, playing an accordion outdoors with trees in the background.

Charcuterie board with cheeses, meats, olives, nuts, and dried fruit, accompanied by a small bowl of bread and bread slices, on a wooden table with a rolled white napkin.

A woman holding gift boxes in front of a colorful, Tudor-style building with pink door and white frame, surrounded by yellow flowers and potted trees.

“Solvang is a special California destination with truly unique, Old World charms. We wanted to highlight what the city has to offer with a particular, more personalized point of view.”

— Jamie Shaw (Cogs & Marvel), Santa Barbara News-Press [25/05/2022]

Old school, new look
Founded by Danish settlers in the early 20th century, Solvang is a magical return to old-world, windmill-studded Europe. We created a full brand system for the City of Solvang, with updated typography, colour palette and graphic language guides that rolled out across the town and online.

A woman in a red vintage style dress with lace accents on the sleeves, standing behind a silver tray with cocktails, a bowl of mixed nuts, a small glass container of olives, and a white vase with yellow billy ball flowers.

A sign welcoming visitors to Solvang, with a note to conserve water, mounted on a stone wall with trees in the background.

A close-up of a food tray filled with Swedish apple cakes called "Aebleskiver." The tray includes several round, golden-brown pastries with some topped with red berry sauce and powdered sugar. There is a white card in the center with text and illustrations, describing how to prepare or serve the dish.

IMPACT

Social media engagement grew by 500%, hotel stays increased 153%, and we outperformed other travel social media by 180%.

PRESS

‘What’s Your Solvang Story?’ [Santa Barbara News-Press, 25/05/2022]

Solvang nominated for USA Today "Best Small Town" awards [KSBY6, 09/05/2022]

Lego mania fills downtown Solvang for inaugural brick-building competition [Santa Ynez News, 04/04/2022]

**Feeling the Hygge everywhere**
To create an experience that would make weekend travellers “stay and play,” we created new live and digital content, built custom activations, and produced the annual Julefest celebration that spanned the Christmas season.

It was our pleasure to honour Solvang’s traditions and new offerings, drawing a new generation of visitors to this charming Danish oasis.

Let’s work together. Get in touch with us.

Related work:

A serene lake at sunset with a wooden dock, a floatplane parked on the dock, and hills in the background. The sky has streaks of clouds and the water reflects the boat, dock, and sky.

Obsidian Adventures

Two drag queens performing on a stage outdoors with a white canopy, colorful costumes, and stage lighting in the background.

Long Beach Pride

Outdoor event space with a pink and beige booth side displaying the name 'ImPerfect Foods', surrounded by wooden planters, a pink van, and modern apartment buildings in the background.

Food Waste Week Roadshow