The new face of VEMU: A conversation with Velvet’s Kristian Kirsfeldt

Welcome to a new series of interviews introducing the faces behind VEMU’s (Estonian Museum Canada) rebranding process and those who have helped contribute to it!

In this first interview, we spoke with creative director Kristian Kirsfeldt of renowned Estonian design agency Velvet, who along with co-worker Nele Volbrück and their team created VEMU’s new striking visual identity. Read on to find out more about the stories behind the museum’s new brand and to hear more about Kristian himself!

VEMU: What was the experience like of creating a brand for an organization that is not local to you, literally across the world? What was it like trying to gauge the sense of community and all that comes along with it without being able to be on the spot and experience it?

Kristian Kirsfeldt (KK): There are two different parts that factor into not being local; first is the physical distance that is quite easily overcome nowadays since we’re used to Zoom meetings and working remotely. The second aspect is the cultural difference or cultural distance. There is a distance between Estonians in the home country and abroad but at the same time, there are also a lot of similarities because we do share the same culture, the same language, etc. I think that’s even more-so true of Estonians and Canadians since we have a lot in common. I think talking about [cultural differences] openly and just spending physical time with people, although it’s “virtual”, and being able to see these people involved; that’s something that really helps close the distance. In the end, I don’t think [the distance] was that big of an issue but we did have a few revelations along the way; it was really interesting to see the “Estonian-ness” in Estonians who live abroad. There are some interesting aspects which we really didn’t expect beforehand and I really got to see the experience of being an Estonian from a slightly different angle.

VEMU: What differences and possible challenges arise in creating a brand for an Estonian company and for one that is external to Estonia?

KK: The physical and cultural distance as well as differences are certainly the two biggest aspects. As soon as you start to understand the “other side,” so to speak, those distances and difficulties are relatively easily overcome. [Velvet] is involved with quite a few brands for international clients and I think sometimes it’s much more difficult to do a brand for a Latvian or Lithuanian company than for a Canadian or US one. A few weeks into the process, there weren’t any noticeable differences anymore; as I said, sometimes it’s harder to do business with locals than companies abroad because within our neighbouring Baltic countries there can actually be larger cultural differences than expected.

VEMU: Currently, what has the feedback regarding VEMU’s new image and brand been like?

KK: It has been overall positive to date, the main au­dience so far has been mostly branding connoisseurs and people within the smaller VEMU circle since this is a brand for a museum and the actual, physical building has yet to be built. We are doing preliminary work that paves the way to the actual museum and the real life of the brand. I think the feedback and situation can truly be assessed when the museum has been around for a while, at which point we can start to fully implement the brand in a bigger perspective. If you take the brand for the Estonian National Museum, which is also done by us, as an example, the amount of things that have to do with branding such as events and branded messages is immense. VEMU brand implementation is just in the beginning stages in comparison but we’re working up to being able to assess the reception of the brand surely and steadily.

VEMU: How did you get into the branding realm and everything that it entails?

KK: I used to work in advertising which is basically tactical branding; you do everyday work and create advertising messages to be used in daily life. When I started working in a design agency, I got into much less tactical branding and more strategic branding. By strategic branding I mean creating the brand, setting up the values, communication tools and goals, and letting other people deal with the tactical side. For me, it has been quite a logical and natural progression moving from the detail-oriented side of branding to the one that focuses on the bigger picture. But some people are satisfied continually dealing with the tactical side of it all which is necessary as well, because if you do strategic branding you sometimes become so distanced from the everyday aspects which actually make up the life of a brand. Sometimes you end up needing to find yourself again as well as the brand because there’s this “ivory tower” syndrome that can set in when you continuously deal with the strategic side of branding.

VEMU: Was it difficult to balance staying true to aspects of “Estonian-ness” such as flag colours, cultural imagery etc. while also being detached enough from that to pique interest in non-Estonians?

KK: Yes, I think balancing the amount of “Estonian-ness” was probably the most difficult part of the rebranding process; especially gauging the “Estonian-ness” of Estonians who live abroad and those who live in the home country. [Native Estonians] have a different viewpoint of being Estonian; there are some big differences because we are in Estonia and engulfed in “Estonian-ness,” the Estonian identity doesn’t have to make room for itself. If you are in Canada, that is the dominant national identity and therefore, “Estonian-ness” and Estonian identity must speak more for itself. Creating the brand in such a way that it is interesting and fresh to native Estonians was important as well because although most of the audience is in Canada, the brand has to work in Estonia as well; Estonians should, as an entity, support VEMU’s cause.

VEMU: Do you see the creation of a brand for an organization/business as a way of giving it a living, breathing identity that evolves and moves along with it over time? How do you see VEMU’s brand evolving in the years, decades to come?

KK: Yes, a brand does have to evolve with an organization or business. Some marketing directors like to change a brand’s identity in its entirety, including the logo, every 5 years but from a customer perspective, the image they’ve gotten used to has completely changed all of a sudden. That applies to brands as well, if they change things up too often, it can come off to customers as them being confused. You have to pick the correct building blocks and they can be changed when need be, usually the messages and advertising are a couple of the easiest things to change and they should adapt to everyday fluctuations. But the brand core, should change only when the organization changes itself or if there’s a big world event that requires change. It’s like being an adult and having all of your values and ideas set straight, you can change your haircut and your clothes but you don’t change who you really are. I think VEMU’s values can survive the next couple of decades for sure, even when the world is changing at an enormous rate. All that is currently happening in Ukraine has brought up these suppressed fears for us that have been under the surface for the past 30 years or so. But even if you consider that the Estonian identity is being put to the test right now, VEMU’s story is at a good point right now.

VEMU: What is your favourite component in the journey of the creation of a new brand? What do you especially enjoy working on in that process?

KK: I do a lot of visual design but at the same time, I also deal with a lot of copyrighting. I really enjoy defining a brand using words and messages and seeing how it is then transformed through graphics; sometimes by doing them myself or by other team members. I think it’s the verbal part of a brand that really in terests me the most because the verbal aspect also includes communication with the client and the customer. We always get a lot of textual ideas from discussions with a client, we then pick them up and modify them so they can be put into messages and values, and finally transformed into graphics.

VEMU: What are some noteworthy projects that Velvet has worked on to date?

KK: We did the Estonian government’s national identity which was also a national pride project. We deal with a lot of museums, the brands in projects such as those are sometimes already in existence so if we work on an exhibit, we create a brand for the general exhibition and the design. I’m personally really proud of the Patarei prison exhibit a few years ago that we were involved with. We also did a complete concept design (interior and branding) for Oru Hub Hotel which is a small lifestyle boutique hotel in Tallinn and worked for student hostel in Riga, Latvia called Duck Republik. Velvet does capitalist projects as well as we can and we really enjoy working with government and public sector related projects in general.

If this has piqued your interest, Kristian can be seen and heard speaking in depth about the topics mentioned above as the keynote speaker at VEMU’s 10th annual fundraising night on May 14th. VEMU’s planned new permanent exhibit, which has been worked on in collaboration with Velvet, will also be a topic of discussion at the fundraiser. Spots are filling quickly, register before May 7th at https:// estoniancentre.app.neoncrm. com/np/clients/estoniancentre/ event.jsp?event=3& or by calling 416.925.9405. See you there and stayed tuned for the next interview coming up soon! If you’re interested in knowing more about the design aspects of VEMU’s rebrand and the stories behind them, check out a seminar on that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smjko_ LwwYg&t=85s

On behalf of VEMU, KATI KIILASPEA