7 min read

case study

Olofsfors

Protecting a 260-Year Legacy in a Digital Age.

role

Workshop Facilitation

Visual Design

Stakeholder Alignment

principles

Brand-Driven Design

Product Transparency

DURATION

1 Month

tools

Figma/Figjam

Photoshop

background

Olofsfors Bruk has been around for over 260 years (yes, since the 1700s), building a strong reputation in the forestry and construction industries. Their bold blue tracks have become instantly recognizable, symbolizing both quality and legacy.

In a collaboration with the Department of Informatics at Umeå University, we took a closer look at the industry through a digital and strategic lens, exploring how tradition meets innovation.

Olofsfors Bruk has been around for over 260 years (yes, since the 1700s), building a strong reputation in the forestry and construction industries. Their bold blue tracks have become instantly recognizable, symbolizing both quality and legacy.

In a collaboration with the Department of Informatics at Umeå University, we took a closer look at the industry through a digital and strategic lens, exploring how tradition meets innovation.

problem

Despite their market leadership, Olofsfors Bruk faces significant challenges with competitors frequently copying their products and marketing strategies.

Despite their market leadership, Olofsfors Bruk faces significant challenges with competitors frequently copying their products and marketing strategies.

CHALLENGE

How can a market-leading company prevent competitors from copying both their products and marketing strategies?

How can a market-leading company prevent competitors from copying both their products and marketing strategies?

strategy

We realized early on that protecting Olofsfors’ position as a market leader wasn’t just about patents or specs, it was about owning their story. What emerged from our research was a need to sharpen how the brand presents itself online. These four strategic directions became our response:

We realized early on that protecting Olofsfors’ position as a market leader wasn’t just about patents or specs, it was about owning their story. What emerged from our research was a need to sharpen how the brand presents itself online. These four strategic directions became our response:

  • #1

    Brand Consistency Across Every Touchpoint

    Maintaining consistent branding across all touchpoints reinforces Olofsfors Bruk’s identity, making it harder for competitors to mimic and helping customers instantly recognize authentic products.

  • #2

    Detailed Product Information for Transparency

    Providing thorough and transparent product details, including specifications and manufacturing processes, builds customer trust and makes it easier to spot counterfeits.

  • #3

    Clear Communication to Build Trust

    Clear and honest communication about product authenticity and company values fosters trust with customers, reassuring them of the reliability and quality of Olofsfors Bruk’s offerings.

  • #4

    Showcasing Olofsfors Bruk’s Heritage

    With an impressive 260-year history, Olofsfors Bruk can leverage its long-standing heritage to stand out from the competition, highlighting their unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.

  • #1

    Brand Consistency Across Every Touchpoint

    Maintaining consistent branding across all touchpoints reinforces Olofsfors Bruk’s identity, making it harder for competitors to mimic and helping customers instantly recognize authentic products.

  • #2

    Detailed Product Information for Transparency

    Providing thorough and transparent product details, including specifications and manufacturing processes, builds customer trust and makes it easier to spot counterfeits.

  • #3

    Clear Communication to Build Trust

    Clear and honest communication about product authenticity and company values fosters trust with customers, reassuring them of the reliability and quality of Olofsfors Bruk’s offerings.

  • #4

    Showcasing Olofsfors Bruk’s Heritage

    With an impressive 260-year history, Olofsfors Bruk can leverage its long-standing heritage to stand out from the competition, highlighting their unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.

USER INTERVIEW

Listening to the Decision Makers

Early on we spoke with procurement stakeholders at Sveaskog, Stora Enso, SCA Skog, and Terranor, revealing what actually drives decisions in forestry and construction and where momentum tends to slow down.

Pain Points

Where Confidence Was Lacking

While quality and durability were must-haves, buyers often struggled with inconsistent specs, hard-to-compare suppliers, and slow, clunky processes. In a market built on trust, unclear product information made it harder for buyers to feel confident in their choices.

Key Insights

The issue wasn’t the product, it was the story around it. Olofsfors had unmatched strengths, but they weren’t clearly coming through. By sharpening how their value was communicated, we could support buyer decisions and make the brand’s distinctiveness harder to miss. This gave us both clarity and direction moving into ideation.

The issue wasn’t the product, it was the story around it. Olofsfors had unmatched strengths, but they weren’t clearly coming through. By sharpening how their value was communicated, we could support buyer decisions and make the brand’s distinctiveness harder to miss. This gave us both clarity and direction moving into ideation.

IDEATION

With a clearer picture of what buyers needed, and where the current experience fell short, we began exploring how Olofsfors’ digital presence could do a better job of reflecting the brand’s real value.

With a clearer picture of what buyers needed, and where the current experience fell short, we began exploring how Olofsfors’ digital presence could do a better job of reflecting the brand’s real value.

User Persona

Clarifying Who We’re Designing For

We wanted our next step to stay close to what we’d actually learned. So we shaped a user persona that captured how a typical stakeholder thinks, feels, and decides: from how they weigh up durability and safety, to the frustration of unclear specs and slow processes. It helped us filter out distractions and focus on what actually mattered to the people we were designing for.

FINDINGS

Turning Insight Into Direction

With the persona as a lens, we ran a 6‑3‑5 brainstorm session to generate ideas rooted in real needs. Working in fast-paced rounds, we explored how Olofsfors could build trust, sharpen clarity, and make their strengths stand out, not just visually, but through structure, tone, and content. The process gave us a wide range of tangible directions to build on.

Takeaways

The insights from the session shaped how we approached the redesign, focusing on transparency, clarity, and a more cohesive brand experience.

The insights from the session shaped how we approached the redesign, focusing on transparency, clarity, and a more cohesive brand experience.

Rough Sketches

We started by getting ideas down fast. No polishing, just rough sketches. It was a simple but effective way to turn abstract thoughts into something visible and concrete. Sketching helped us move quickly from scattered ideas to shared understanding.

We started by getting ideas down fast. No polishing, just rough sketches. It was a simple but effective way to turn abstract thoughts into something visible and concrete. Sketching helped us move quickly from scattered ideas to shared understanding.

Lo-Fidelity Wireframes

From there, we translated the strongest concepts into simple lo-fi wireframes. They helped us test structure, flow, and clarity without getting distracted by visuals, keeping the focus on how the experience should feel, before deciding how it should look.

From there, we translated the strongest concepts into simple lo-fi wireframes. They helped us test structure, flow, and clarity without getting distracted by visuals, keeping the focus on how the experience should feel, before deciding how it should look.

Sitemap

We mapped the site alongside our lo-fi wireframes to embed strategy into the layout from the start, building around product transparency, clear communication, and a strong focus on heritage.

We mapped the site alongside our lo-fi wireframes to embed strategy into the layout from the start, building around product transparency, clear communication, and a strong focus on heritage.

Mid-Fidelity Wireframes

We then moved into mid-fidelity wireframes, refining layout and flow while staying focused on usability and structure. This helped us stay aligned with our core strategies and continue designing with clarity.

We then moved into mid-fidelity wireframes, refining layout and flow while staying focused on usability and structure. This helped us stay aligned with our core strategies and continue designing with clarity.

Design System

Brand consistency was a priority from the start, so we put together a simple design system early. It helped us work faster and stay cohesive as we moved into high-fidelity design.

Brand consistency was a priority from the start, so we put together a simple design system early. It helped us work faster and stay cohesive as we moved into high-fidelity design.

Final Prototype

From Process to Prototype

Our final prototype brought the entire design process into focus. From branding and structure to tone and trust-building content, it visualised how Olofsfors could present itself with more clarity and confidence, without losing the edge that sets the brand apart.

Final Prototype

Making Our Ideas Tangible

Rather than just suggesting ideas, we used the prototype to show how key strategies could play out across the actual experience: highlighting product details, communicating more transparently, and giving space to the company’s heritage. It became a way to test and refine our thinking in context.

Final Prototype

A Direction to Build On

This gave Olofsfors a tangible direction forward, not as a finished solution, but as a foundation to build on. A stronger, more unified experience that could reinforce their leadership, while making their value easier to see, trust, and remember.

What This Project Taught Me

Looking back, we could have brought users into the later design phases more directly. While our insights were grounded in real conversations, involving stakeholders more actively during prototyping could have sharpened the feedback loop even further. It was a clear reminder that user involvement isn’t a one-time step, it’s something that should shape the process all the way through.

Looking back, we could have brought users into the later design phases more directly. While our insights were grounded in real conversations, involving stakeholders more actively during prototyping could have sharpened the feedback loop even further. It was a clear reminder that user involvement isn’t a one-time step, it’s something that should shape the process all the way through.

Get in touch.

I'm just an email away.

Send me a message

©Samuel Andersson 2026

Get in touch.

I'm just an email away.

Send me a message

©Samuel Andersson 2026

Get in touch.

I'm just an email away.

Send me a message

©Samuel Andersson 2026