MyHelsinki
Positioning Helsinki as a welcoming home for international travel, talent and enterprise
Evolving the brand and digital onboarding experience for Helsinki’s international audience — from identity and the MyHelsinki website to campaigns, digital channels and experiences.
Services
Experience Design
Strategy & Insight
Brand Design
Industry
Travel & Hospitality
MyHelsinki
Positioning Helsinki as a welcoming home for international travel, talent and enterprise
Evolving the brand and digital onboarding experience for Helsinki’s international audience — from identity and the MyHelsinki website to campaigns, digital channels and experiences.
Services
Experience Design
Strategy & Insight
Brand Design
Industry
Travel & Hospitality
MyHelsinki
Positioning Helsinki as a welcoming home for international travel, talent and enterprise
Evolving the brand and digital onboarding experience for Helsinki’s international audience — from identity and the MyHelsinki website to campaigns, digital channels and experiences.
Services
Experience Design
Strategy & Insight
Brand Design
Industry
Travel & Hospitality
The Challenge
Helsinki offers incredible quality of life, innovation, and belonging in the world's happiest country. Yet, its global brand fell short, limiting its appeal to visitors, talent, and businesses.
At a key moment of change, Helsinki Partners — the international marketing unit of the City of Helsinki — merged its business, talent, and visitor initiatives, requiring a unified strategy to connect with international audiences in a more compelling and cohesive way.
The challenge was not just about visibility but about articulating Helsinki’s distinct value proposition on the world stage. The two year collaboration with Helsinki Partners wasn’t about whole-sale change of the existing Helsinki brand, but elevating it and extending it for a new era.
The Challenge
Helsinki offers incredible quality of life, innovation, and belonging in the world's happiest country. Yet, its global brand fell short, limiting its appeal to visitors, talent, and businesses.
At a key moment of change, Helsinki Partners — the international marketing unit of the City of Helsinki — merged its business, talent, and visitor initiatives, requiring a unified strategy to connect with international audiences in a more compelling and cohesive way.
The challenge was not just about visibility but about articulating Helsinki’s distinct value proposition on the world stage. The two year collaboration with Helsinki Partners wasn’t about whole-sale change of the existing Helsinki brand, but elevating it and extending it for a new era.
The Challenge
Helsinki offers incredible quality of life, innovation, and belonging in the world's happiest country. Yet, its global brand fell short, limiting its appeal to visitors, talent, and businesses.
At a key moment of change, Helsinki Partners — the international marketing unit of the City of Helsinki — merged its business, talent, and visitor initiatives, requiring a unified strategy to connect with international audiences in a more compelling and cohesive way.
The challenge was not just about visibility but about articulating Helsinki’s distinct value proposition on the world stage. The two year collaboration with Helsinki Partners wasn’t about whole-sale change of the existing Helsinki brand, but elevating it and extending it for a new era.
The Strategy
MyHelsinki’s strategy hinges itself on a core vision: ‘Welcome to Your Happy Place.’ It reflects both the city's place in the world's happiest country and its welcoming spirit — where happiness is personal and uniquely experienced.
This vision is built on key pillars that define the ‘how’ i.e. Helsinki’s unique strengths: belonging, sustainability, design, nature, innovation, and wellbeing.
These pillars codify what Helsinki delivers across its services and experiences as a city while connecting all internal stakeholders around the key aspects of the city to highlight and communicate.
We also defined the global channel strategy of MyHelsinki to guide why, what, how, where, and when content is used across its digital platforms.
This was especially important to help frame and guide different types of content produced for the diverse target audiences in more meaningful, relevant and channel-specific ways.
The Strategy
MyHelsinki’s strategy hinges itself on a core vision: ‘Welcome to Your Happy Place.’ It reflects both the city's place in the world's happiest country and its welcoming spirit — where happiness is personal and uniquely experienced.
This vision is built on key pillars that define the ‘how’ i.e. Helsinki’s unique strengths: belonging, sustainability, design, nature, innovation, and wellbeing.
These pillars codify what Helsinki delivers across its services and experiences as a city while connecting all internal stakeholders around the key aspects of the city to highlight and communicate.
We also defined the global channel strategy of MyHelsinki to guide why, what, how, where, and when content is used across its digital platforms.
This was especially important to help frame and guide different types of content produced for the diverse target audiences in more meaningful, relevant and channel-specific ways.
The Strategy
MyHelsinki’s strategy hinges itself on a core vision: ‘Welcome to Your Happy Place.’ It reflects both the city's place in the world's happiest country and its welcoming spirit — where happiness is personal and uniquely experienced.
This vision is built on key pillars that define the ‘how’ i.e. Helsinki’s unique strengths: belonging, sustainability, design, nature, innovation, and wellbeing.
These pillars codify what Helsinki delivers across its services and experiences as a city while connecting all internal stakeholders around the key aspects of the city to highlight and communicate.
We also defined the global channel strategy of MyHelsinki to guide why, what, how, where, and when content is used across its digital platforms.
This was especially important to help frame and guide different types of content produced for the diverse target audiences in more meaningful, relevant and channel-specific ways.
Brand Identity
Building on the existing Helsinki brand, we refined it to emphasise warmth, personality, and a human touch.
A handwritten inspired typography added a sense of connection, while a warm and inviting color palette reinforced a feeling of belonging. Real, raw imagery became central to showcasing authentic moments, creating an identity that feels grounded yet distinctive.
The brand expression is bold yet simple, balancing paired back everyday authenticity with more expressive moments. Handwritten typography, raw photography, and warm colors create a system that connects emotionally while allowing playful graphic accents to dial up when needed.
Brand Identity
Building on the existing Helsinki brand, we refined it to emphasise warmth, personality, and a human touch.
A handwritten inspired typography added a sense of connection, while a warm and inviting color palette reinforced a feeling of belonging. Real, raw imagery became central to showcasing authentic moments, creating an identity that feels grounded yet distinctive.
The brand expression is bold yet simple, balancing paired back everyday authenticity with more expressive moments. Handwritten typography, raw photography, and warm colors create a system that connects emotionally while allowing playful graphic accents to dial up when needed.
Brand Identity
Building on the existing Helsinki brand, we refined it to emphasise warmth, personality, and a human touch.
A handwritten inspired typography added a sense of connection, while a warm and inviting color palette reinforced a feeling of belonging. Real, raw imagery became central to showcasing authentic moments, creating an identity that feels grounded yet distinctive.
The brand expression is bold yet simple, balancing paired back everyday authenticity with more expressive moments. Handwritten typography, raw photography, and warm colors create a system that connects emotionally while allowing playful graphic accents to dial up when needed.
Business in Focus
The brand needed to shift from visitors to talent and businesses. We created an adaptive system that can flex to a bold, minimal look for Helsinki’s business side to be both distinct yet unified.
For Helsinki’s business segment, we embraced a dark-mode colour palette — minimal, sharp, and deliberately understated. This refined aesthetic mirrors the efficiency and precision of the city’s business environment, creating a slick visual identity that feels both modern and confident.
Business in Focus
The brand needed to shift from visitors to talent and businesses. We created an adaptive system that can flex to a bold, minimal look for Helsinki’s business side to be both distinct yet unified.
For Helsinki’s business segment, we embraced a dark-mode colour palette — minimal, sharp, and deliberately understated. This refined aesthetic mirrors the efficiency and precision of the city’s business environment, creating a slick visual identity that feels both modern and confident.
Business in Focus
The brand needed to shift from visitors to talent and businesses. We created an adaptive system that can flex to a bold, minimal look for Helsinki’s business side to be both distinct yet unified.
For Helsinki’s business segment, we embraced a dark-mode colour palette — minimal, sharp, and deliberately understated. This refined aesthetic mirrors the efficiency and precision of the city’s business environment, creating a slick visual identity that feels both modern and confident.
Tone of Voice
The tone of voice embraces Helsinki’s distinct ethos: ‘Real, Not perfect.’ It’s approachable, relatable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The city’s verbal identity is all about speaking directly to audiences without over-promising or using clichés. Confident yet warm, it flexes between straightforward and conversational to a little humorous to engage visitors, talent, and businesses in meaningful ways.
Tone of Voice
The tone of voice embraces Helsinki’s distinct ethos: ‘Real, Not perfect.’ It’s approachable, relatable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The city’s verbal identity is all about speaking directly to audiences without over-promising or using clichés. Confident yet warm, it flexes between straightforward and conversational to a little humorous to engage visitors, talent, and businesses in meaningful ways.
Tone of Voice
The tone of voice embraces Helsinki’s distinct ethos: ‘Real, Not perfect.’ It’s approachable, relatable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The city’s verbal identity is all about speaking directly to audiences without over-promising or using clichés. Confident yet warm, it flexes between straightforward and conversational to a little humorous to engage visitors, talent, and businesses in meaningful ways.
Experience
Bringing Helsinki to life — seamlessly across web, digital, and film, creating a unified experience
The MyHelsinki website was designed to be an all-in-one platform serving each target groups — visitors, talent, and businesses. The site offers a clear and intuitive navigation for every audience. The digital ecosystem extended to social platforms like Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn and podcasts.
To bring the new brand to life, we developed a launch campaign centered on a live-action film that showcased Helsinki’s unique blend of nature, innovation, and human connection. Shot on location, the film captured real moments and authentic stories, reinforcing the brand’s “real, not perfect” ethos.
Experience
Bringing Helsinki to life — seamlessly across web, digital, and film, creating a unified experience
The MyHelsinki website was designed to be an all-in-one platform serving each target groups — visitors, talent, and businesses. The site offers a clear and intuitive navigation for every audience. The digital ecosystem extended to social platforms like Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn and podcasts.
To bring the new brand to life, we developed a launch campaign centered on a live-action film that showcased Helsinki’s unique blend of nature, innovation, and human connection. Shot on location, the film captured real moments and authentic stories, reinforcing the brand’s “real, not perfect” ethos.
Experience
Bringing Helsinki to life — seamlessly across web, digital, and film, creating a unified experience
The MyHelsinki website was designed to be an all-in-one platform serving each target groups — visitors, talent, and businesses. The site offers a clear and intuitive navigation for every audience. The digital ecosystem extended to social platforms like Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn and podcasts.
To bring the new brand to life, we developed a launch campaign centered on a live-action film that showcased Helsinki’s unique blend of nature, innovation, and human connection. Shot on location, the film captured real moments and authentic stories, reinforcing the brand’s “real, not perfect” ethos.
Kallan&Co is a global design and innovation studio. We blend human creativity with artificial intelligence and emerging technology to help our clients reach their full creative potential.
General enquiries
Working globally in:
Helsinki (FI)
andre@kallan.co
+358 44 231 7305
Christchurch (NZ)
brett@kallan.co
+64 27 443 3153
Melbourne (AU)
kiara@kallan.co
+61 458 866 399
© Kallan&Co 2025
Local Time
Kallan&Co is a global design and innovation studio. We blend human creativity with artificial intelligence and emerging technology to help our clients reach their full creative potential.
General enquiries
Working globally in:
Helsinki (FI)
andre@kallan.co
+358 44 231 7305
Christchurch (NZ)
brett@kallan.co
+64 27 443 3153
Melbourne (AU)
kiara@kallan.co
+61 458 866 399
© Kallan&Co 2025
Local Time
General enquiries
Working globally in:
Helsinki (FI)
andre@kallan.co
+358 44 231 7305
Christchurch (NZ)
brett@kallan.co
+64 27 443 3153
Melbourne (AU)
kiara@kallan.co
+61 458 866 399
© Kallan&Co 2025
Local Time