What does it mean for a physical place to be for everyone? ARC was exploring how to communicate that idea for a Swedish chain of fast casual hamburger restaurants when Kurppa Hosk stepped in with a question: Should a restaurant meant to welcome everyone be so visually tied to the retro culture of American hamburger joints?

When looking at the existing Tugg identity, we spotted an opportunity to build in more soul, more dynamism, and most of all, more representation of global cultures. It turned out to be relatively easy to break a long-established category behavior. So without prompting, we proposed an alternate take on a visual identity for Tugg that brought in inspiration from around the world, beyond the US. At its core, the new Tugg identity is about the universality of the humble hamburger, and how it can be brought to life in new ways to welcome anyone and everyone through design.

With this ambition, we created a visual world that moves far from the hamburger’s (debated) American origins. Accompanied by colorful graphics and wild typography, we introduce the Tugg family consisting of Cheesela (cheese), Fritte (fries), Gurra (cucumber), Mustafa (mustard), Shalotte (red onion) and Ketty (tomato). Together they invite us to Tugg City, where anything is possible and everyone is invited!

In autumn 2022, the new identity began to be rolled out via the updated website, a communication campaign produced by our sister agency Animal, as well as restaurants and street advertising in Gothenburg. In the coming months, more restaurants will gradually switch to the new brand identity.