Rebranding Iceland’s oldest animal welfare organization

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Icelandic welfare organization rebrand with sheep
Services:

A new visual identity for Dýraverndarsamband Íslands

• A flexible logo system

• A full visual identity

• A brand style guide

• Social media templates

• A redesign of the website


Client:

Dýraverndarsamband Íslands

Dýraverndarsamband Íslands has been protecting animals in Iceland since 1914. Despite their long legacy, they had never had a professionally designed identity. 


My mission was to create a visual identity that:

• Stands apart from other animal  orgs in Iceland 

• Reflects Iceland’s unique wildlife and landscape

• Feels minimal, versatile, and timeless

• Can work across all platforms, from print to digital

Visual identity discovery session
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Discovery session

Their old logo was drawn up by a former board member, well-intentioned, but had become easily mistaken for logos used by other animal welfare orgs, as well as a political group with completely different views.


I started with a discovery session to talk about their goals, values, and audience. I looked into other animal and nature orgs in Iceland to understand how they present themselves visually, and more importantly, how we could make sure the client would be able to stand out.

Logo concept sketches for animal rights NGO
Logo moodboard for animal welfare organization

The creative process

The Arctic fox quickly caught my attention, as it’s the only mammal native to Iceland and, surprisingly, not yet featured in any animal org logos. 


I knew right away this would be the anchor of the new brand.

Arctic fox photograph by Tomas Malik
Simple logo mark sketch of a fox
Minimalistic logo sketches of a fox

The logo mark

The final logo is a clean, mono-line outline of an Arctic fox, created entirely from circles. It’s simple, bold, and symbolic. 

Branding typeface selection
Lava glow, branding accent color
Icelandic Flag Blue, branding color

Colors and typeface

I chose a marine blue, pulled from the Icelandic flag, and a volcanic orange, as a nod to Iceland’s energy and land. These colors break away from the expected greens and earth tones, helping the organisation stand out while still feeling grounded in place.


Paired with a minimalistic mono-line typeface, the logo feels cohesive, calm, and confident.

Animal welfare NGO logo branding
Secondary version of animal NGO logo
Minimalistic fox logo for animal rights NGO
Rebrand of an animal welfare organization
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Outcome

The new branding was officially unveiled at the 111th anniversary celebration in March 2025, an event opened by the President of Iceland. Since then, the identity has been used across banners, reports, letters to ministers, and political reviews. 


It’s now a visible and respected part of national conversations around animal rights in Iceland.

Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir, chairwoman of Animal Welfare Association of Iceland gives testimonial to Styngvi

We highly recommend working with Stefán!

Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir

Chairwoman, Dýraverndarsamband Íslands

It was absolutely fantastic to work with Stefán. His suggestions were very good and the design was high-quality. Stefán is a big animal welfare advocate and as a designer has placed great emphasis on projects that fight for a better future for nature, animals and people. The board of DÍS therefore felt that the collaboration was a perfect fit. 

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DISCOVER

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