SF Studios Logo PNG
The SF Studios logo shows that the company makes both classic films and films in unusual genres. However, it remains loyal to its views and beliefs. The emblem conveys the harmony and completeness of the resulting film masterpieces.
SF Studios was founded on December 27, 1919, through the merger of AB Svenska Biografteatern and Filmindustri AB Skandia. The new company was formally registered in February 1920 as Aktiebolaget Svensk Filmindustri. Its early films helped define the golden age of Swedish cinema, including The Phantom Carriage (1921), Häxan (1922), and The Saga of Gösta Berling (1924).
Directors Mauritz Stiller and Victor Sjöström gave the studio international visibility. Stiller also introduced Greta Garbo through The Saga of Gösta Berling before her move to Hollywood. Later competition from American and German cinema, along with the shift to sound, pushed Svensk Filmindustri toward the domestic market and educational films.
In 1942, Carl-Anders Dymling became company president, and Ingmar Bergman joined the studio. Torment, released in 1944 and based on Bergman’s screenplay, drew renewed attention to Swedish film. In the 1950s and 1960s, the studio backed major Bergman works, including The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, The Silence, and Persona. It also entered television with projects such as Pippi Longstocking, based on Astrid Lindgren’s books.
Ownership changed several times after 1970, passing through Hufvudstaden AB, Dagens Nyheter, and Bonnier. Key later titles included Jan Troell’s The Emigrants (1971) and Lasse Hallström’s My Life as a Dog (1985). In 1998, the company split into AB Svensk Filmindustri and the SF Bio cinema chain. SF Anytime launched in 2002, and SF Bio later became part of Nordic Cinema Group before its sale to AMC Theatres in 2017. In 2016, Svensk Filmindustri was renamed SF Studios, reflecting its broader Nordic presence in Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
Meaning and History
SF Studios creates and promotes films. It directed the Oscar-winning film A Man Called Ove (2015) and has worked with many Scandinavian directors, whose work has received universal acclaim. It also owns most screen adaptations of the works of children’s writer Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren. The studio currently works with foreign companies, including Sony Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Warner Bros., and has co-produced films with them.
The famous SF intro tune appeared in 1943. It was used for weekly news coverage, shown in theaters before the premiere. The then-popular Swedish composer Jules Sylvain wrote the music. It only took him a few minutes. After the arrangements, the sound became familiar to modern audiences.
The history of logo creation is also very old. Nils Hårde, the head of marketing, is believed to have developed it. Before joining SF Studios, he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, was a periodical artist, and drew posters that have become internationally recognized classics. Nils Hårde’s signature appears next to the 1924 film poster for Gösta Berlings Saga. According to another, less believable legend, an unknown woman created the logo.
The design of a graphic symbol has changed so often that not all versions have survived to the present day, and not all are remembered. For example, many now forget that in the 1960s, the monogram “SF” was moved from the familiar circle to a square base. But then the developers decided to return to the original round shape. Ultimately, she became the main one.
1921 – 1964
In 1919, AB Svensk Filmindustri was founded. To stand out in the emerging film industry, it needed a recognizable logo. Nils Hårde, the creator of the era’s popular posters, came up with the idea. He used the first letters of the film studio’s name and combined them into a single image on a black background. The initial design was very simple. He appeared in a promotional poster for the 1921 film Johan.
Archival evidence suggests the elegant circle monogram wasn’t developed until the late 1930s. It remained in black and white, just like the original. The “F” occupied the lower right corner of the circle, and the diagonally inverted “S” sat above it. Both letters had long, rounded serifs.
1964 – 1986
After minor changes, the base turned coffee-colored, and the monogram became dark beige. The logo also adopted the same dark beige frame, consisting of two rings of different widths. The designers reduced the letters slightly so they would not touch the borders and made the lines slightly thinner.
1986 – 2016
After further experiments, the color scheme changed again. The round base was completely white. She created a neutral background for the other elements, which were painted dark crimson. It is a traditional monogram and double bezel.
2016 – today
In 2016, the company was renamed SF Studios. To mark the change, she received a redesigned logo. Modern designers solved the free-space problem by stretching the letters across the circle’s full width. Now the “S” and “F” reach the borders, merging with them into a single unit. So the outer border looks almost like a full-fledged part of the monogram. Since the letters have been reshaped, the serifs have become subtle. Only a tiny protruding stripe in the upper-left corner of the “F” is visible, separating it from the “S.”
The new version uses one ring instead of two. The background color remained white. For the main elements, I chose a dark red shade. The inscription “STUDIOS” appears at the bottom; the letters “SF” can be interpreted not only as a decorative pattern but also as a full-fledged part of the company name.
Font and Colors
From time immemorial, the graphic symbol of a film studio consisted of a monogram inside a circle. Moreover, it was previously used mainly in news reviews (SF Journal) and the media. It rarely appeared in films except in the end credits. The design has changed over the century, with variations in color schemes.
The “STUDIOS” inscription uses a typical, round geometric sans-serif font. All letters are bold and capitalized. The elements are dark red, almost burgundy, and the base is completely white.