Nokia

Nokia
Project Summary

Driving recognition for Nokia as a B2B tech powerhouse

The ask
Despite spending the past decade evolving into a B2B tech leader, most people continue to see Nokia as a mobile phone company. How do we change a perception that's holding the brand back as it seeks to grow in the enterprise market and outpace competitors?

Nokia was once in the pockets of over a billion people worldwide.

It has won Nobel prizes for its innovations. It invented the transistorConfirmed the Big Bang theory. Was responsible for the first GSM call. And, for the past decade, it has brought that same groundbreaking spirit to the world of telecom and B2B networking, leading at the intersection of networks and cloud.

But despite this evolution, most people continue to see Nokia as a mobile phone company—a perception holding the brand back as it seeks to grow in the enterprise market, outpace competitors and be recognized for the value it brings to service providers it partners with.

Today, the networking technology Nokia pioneers is becoming increasingly valuable to the digitalization of every physical industry. Think retail, supply chain, mining and beyond. The next industrial revolution is expected to unleash the potential of digital like never before, bringing together innovations in Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence to enable fully remote, connected, and smart operations. For enterprises and governments alike, this means massive gains in productivity, safety, and sustainability.

In short, now is Nokia’s time to unlock its next stage of growth.

First, Nokia needed to gain recognition for the B2B technology innovation leader it already is.

One that enables customer and partner ecosystems to create the digital services and applications of the future, demonstrating what’s possible when the world acts together.

Working closely with the organization, we started by distilling the company’s ambition into a brand positioning that reflects the valuable role Nokia plays: pioneering the future where networks meet cloud to accelerate the impact of digital in every industry. We further articulated Nokia as a strategic collaborator and a distinctly human brand with a new purpose: “At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.” This purpose comes alive in a fresh new logo and visual identity, designed to signal change and help existing and prospective customers see Nokia in a new light.

Nokia arena exterior

Nokia area signage

We built the identity to echo Nokia’s rich heritage as the inventor of essential technologies, while giving it a fresh, contemporary, dynamic feel to represent the Nokia of today. This meant simplifying the geometry of the original logo and striking the right degree of visual evolution so the iconic logo, unchanged for more than half a century, was still instantly recognizable. And, to visually represent Nokia’s purpose, the logo’s individual letters were abstracted so they only read as ‘Nokia’ when they act together. 

Nokia Billboard

“Our new logo is a bold evolution of the 1960s classic. It’s dynamic, precise and brings new meaning, cleverly representing our purpose with abstracted letters that, when acting together, read as Nokia.”

Stacey Brierley, Vice President, Brand, Nokia

Nokia Bell Labs graphic

Video

Nokia visual identity video

Video

The new digital-first identity goes further with a kaleidoscopic color palette and bold imagery that cuts through the industry’s sea of sameness. The logo’s N, O and K letterforms have been repurposed as bold graphics to use across all content, so every communication from the brand is distinctively Nokia.

The new Nokia was revealed to the world on February 26, 2023 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Nokia Mobile World Congress Entrance

Nokia Mobile World Congress Exhibition

“This is a bold step in Nokia’s journey – and will help us get recognized by existing and prospective customers for the B2B technology innovation leader we are today.”

Melissa Schoeb, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Nokia
News & Recognition