SNASK, a Swedish design, film production, branding and creative collective that’s known as much for its self-initiated projects as for its client work, has joined MOONDOG for U.S. representation. They’ve been added as directors on the company’s Moondog Films roster and will be brought on to collaborate on creative projects via its Moondog Creative division. The announcement was made by Bernadette Quinn, MOONDOG’s managing director.
In addition to signing SNASK, MOONDOG has named a new set of sales reps to handle all of the company’s divisions–Moondog Creative, Moondog Films, Moondog Edit, Moondog VFX and Moondog Music–in the Midwest and on the West Coast and in Texas. Laurel Dobose of Chicago-based Gypsy Reps handles the Midwest while Andrew Hall of Santa Monica-based Andrew Hall Management covers the West Coast and Texas.
MOONDOG was formed this past summer when the disparate group of companies all working together under the Moondog Edit umbrella were re-branded and restructured to offer agencies and clients a one-stop, concept through completion creative, production and postproduction resource.
MOONDOG is positioning SNASK as a creative/production hybrid that does concepts, design, stop motion and branding, working across levels, medias and disciplines. SNASK’s work has been singled out for acclaim by everyone from Adobe to the AIGA to design publications and blogs around the world. Among the clients they’ve worked for are The Washington Post, for which they designed an intricate piece of typographic sculpture for the cover of their June, 2015 Editor’s Favorites issue. They’ve also created design or film projects for such brands as Target, Electrolux, Samsung, the Swedish microbrewer PangPang, the investment bank Nordea Markets and the European wine brand Chill Out wines.
SNASK was launched in Stockholm by founders and creative directors Fredrik Öst and Magnus Berg, who met while studying in college. They conceived the idea for the studio and its unorthodox structure while still students. “When we graduated in 2007 we set it up instantly,” says Öst, “and since then we haven’t looked at others in the industry but rather went our own way and created our own methods of working as well as work ethos.”
Beyond being a creative agency that does branding, design and film, SNASK extends its DIY, hand-made aesthetic to its approach to products as well as just imagery. For example, SNASK has its own beer, its own hand-built bike, and will soon be launching its own line of vegan foods. Their book, published in 2013, “Make Enemies and Gain Fans,” is a both an irreverent treatise on SNASK’s view on branding as well as the history of the studio’s first five years. The title, Öst said, reflects their view that “every brand needs to have opinions and stand up for them. When you do, you’ll get enemies as well as fans.”
SNASK’s agreement with MOONDOG is their first national representation partnership in the U.S. They chose MOONDOG, said Öst, as they were interested in being repped in the American market for more than just their film production capabilities.
“The decision to sign SNASK for U.S. representation was easy, because they possess a design-centric aesthetic that’s relevant to the current marketplace,” said Quinn. “And they’re out of the box thinkers.” To that end, MOONDOG has already collaborated with SNASK on a Moondog Creative pitch for a major financial services company.
