Nils-Petter Ekwall was commissioned by Skärpa Studio to create the visual identity for Nyansera Grönt 3 — an annual conference held in Lund, Sweden, focusing on sustainable planting design, horticulture and the future of living green environments.
The project included the development of the event logo, a signature key visual illustration, poster design, social media templates and a flexible set of graphic assets for digital communication.
Final illustration — created in Adobe Illustrator with detailed textures, layered shapes and a focus on plants, landscape and visual storytelling. The illustration combines botanical elements, architecture and sustainable landscape concepts into a single visual narrative.
The visual concept was built around Nils-Petter’s interpretation of the event tagline: putting plants in the leading role. The aim was to create a calm and considered identity rather than a loud, typography-driven event graphic. Architectural forms are subtly suggested through delicate white outlines, almost disappearing into the greenery and allowing the landscape to take centre stage.
Nils-Petter introduced a brick texture at the bottom of the illustration as a subtle reference to Lund’s architectural character — a historic university city with a medieval city centre, cobblestone streets and brick architecture typical of southern Sweden. The texture also creates a connection to the brick building that houses Skärpa Studio.
Final logo design — the handwritten typeface was chosen to create a warm and approachable character, with an honest and educational feel. These qualities reflect the atmosphere Nils-Petter wanted to capture in the conference identity, inspired by learning, knowledge sharing and sustainable practices.
The identity was designed to work across multiple platforms — from printed posters and event materials to digital campaigns and social media communication. The adaptable graphic system allows the organizers to create new content throughout their campaign while maintaining a consistent and recognizable expression.
Final poster design — the completed event poster, combining the key illustration, logo, typography and supporting graphic elements created for Nyansera Grönt.
Nyansera Grönt brings together professionals within horticulture, planting design, garden practice and landscape architecture.
The upcoming conference Nyansera Grönt 3 features invited speakers including Charlie Harpur (Head Gardener, Knepp Walled Garden, UK), Molly Mullane & Thomas Vejsnæs (Malmos & Krydsfelt Landskapsarkitekter, Denmark), Henrik Sjöman (SLU / Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård, Sweden), Karin Svensson (SLU Alnarp, Sweden), Bodil Åsberg (Fokus Grönt, Sweden) and Peter Korn, (Klinta Trädgård, Sweden), who will share perspectives on plants, ecology and long-term stewardship in the creation of more sustainable and dynamic environments.
The upcoming conference Nyansera Grönt 3 features invited speakers including Charlie Harpur (Head Gardener, Knepp Walled Garden, UK), Molly Mullane & Thomas Vejsnæs (Malmos & Krydsfelt Landskapsarkitekter, Denmark), Henrik Sjöman (SLU / Göteborgs Botaniska Trädgård, Sweden), Karin Svensson (SLU Alnarp, Sweden), Bodil Åsberg (Fokus Grönt, Sweden) and Peter Korn, (Klinta Trädgård, Sweden), who will share perspectives on plants, ecology and long-term stewardship in the creation of more sustainable and dynamic environments.
Poster mockup — showing the final event poster in context and how the visual identity would translates into a physical format.
Skärpa Studio is a horticultural practice founded by trained garden engineers, working with planting design, gardens and the development of sustainable outdoor environments. www.skarpastudio.se
This project reflects Nils-Petter’s growing interest in visual storytelling for subjects connected to gardens, landscapes, landscape architecture, sustainability and the built environment. Through illustration and graphic design, he explores ways of communicating complex ideas, places and processes — from urban environments and architecture to green spaces and living landscapes.
Postcard / flyer mockup — the design applied to a smaller postcard format.
Flexible social media assets designed for ongoing event communication.
Some of Nils-Petter's early sketches — exploring two different visual directions: “scenes” vs. “landscape”.
Left; Logo explorations — exploring different visual directions for the identity. The early green colour block, used to indicate the illustration area, helped define what kind of “green” the project should't represent. The discussion moved towards a more diverse and contemporary view of landscapes — shaped by biodiversity, resilient planting, climate adaptation and living ecosystems. Right: Thumbnail sketches — exploring composition, layout variations and different visual directions for the illustration.
Concept sketches — exploring landscapes, vegetation and ecological elements, from traditional fences and pollarded trees to habitat features, log piles and historical land-use practices such as swidden agriculture. Not all elements were included in the final illustration, but the sketches helped explore and narrow down the ideas behind the final composition.
Thank you for your interest!
