Sneak peek into 2026

Renewing the design system

This year, we began a comprehensive upgrade of the Estonia brand design system. Our principles and core messages have evolved and our visual identity must evolve with them.

The original Brand Estonia design system and toolbox that was launched in 2017 is lagging behind the needs of today’s marketing and communication needs, where digital formats, flexibility and clarity are essential. Over time, the system has grown more complex: from multiple sub-brands and outdated design guidelines have made it increasingly difficult to maintain coherence and quality. At the same time, designers, photographers and creators have lacked a clear, shared definition of the feeling and expression the Estonia brand should convey.

The renewal work we are launching early 2026 solves these challenges by strengthening brand architecture, aligning the visual system with our updated values, and creating inspiring, modern examples that help everyone tell Estonia’s story with confidence and consistency.

We would like to thank our main partners NOPE and BOND agencies in making Brand Estonia design system and our new websites look sharp, future-ready and unmistakably Estonia.

New websites estonia.ee and brand.estonia.ee

We are launching two new websites in early 2026 to make storytelling about Estonia more intuitive and aligned with our renewed brand. The new estonia.ee will serve as the country’s official gateway for global audiences, while the updated Brand Estonia website will provide clearer tools and guidance for everyone who presents Estonia abroad.

New look & feel for Brand Estonia

Updated color palette

The Estonian blue is now slightly finetuned - softer for eyes and better for printing. All six themes have been reviewed and packaged as separate mini-palettes. The updated Brand Estonia color palette improves the overall design system user experience and enables clear topic differentiation across all media.

Boulders: rooted, but shaped by change

Boulders will remain as the core elements of the renewed brand. We have created an additional set of boulder shapes inspired by the more distinctive and charismatic Estonian boulders. Currently, the boulders were relatively similar in shape, we expanded the collection with more varied and characterful forms.

Additionally, the boulders can be blurred. For creating the blur, a 0%-50%-100% formula can be applied: the boulder in focus remains sharp, while those closest and furthest are blurred. This approach mimics how focus works in real life. There are multiple compositional ways to use the boulders in layouts.

Illustrations: Backbone meets heart

The illustration style begins with the visual language of the boulders – an all-new twist and a fresh point of departure. From these elemental forms, we take the confidence of solid shapes, colour fills, and presence. At the same time, we integrate the familiar line style – now reinvented through dashed strokes.

This new line work carries the same clarity and structure as the logo, typography, and icons, ensuring continuity with the identity’s backbone.

A detailed analysis of the formation of the country's reputation: opportunities for strengthening Estonia's reputation

In 2026, a major research project by the University of Tartu will be launched to explore Estonia’s possible strategies for strengthening its national reputation. Grounded in the understanding that a country’s image is perceived differently across target groups, the two-year study will analyse the key factors shaping Estonia’s reputation and develop tailored recommendations for tourists, consumers, entrepreneurs and investors, as well as talent seeking work and residence.

Using international data — with the Anholt Nation Brands Index as a central source — and applying advanced analytical methods, the project will identify global patterns and translate them into strategic insights for Estonia. The outcomes will provide a data-driven basis for future positioning, segmentation, and communication choices aimed at enhancing Estonia’s reputation.