Sweden mails every household 'If Crisis or War Comes' — 4.8M kept and read

In early 2017 the Swedish government asked MSB to raise citizens' knowledge of crisis and war preparedness — the first such national mailing in 57 years.

Make preparedness keepable: a 20-page plain-Swedish booklet with a fridge checklist, built to feel robust and permanent, not disposable mail.

MSB distilled thousands of pages into short, illustrated text in simple Swedish, tested drafts with ten focus groups, coordinated with defense and municipal agencies, and had Kreab design it on thick uncoated paper with a pull-out checklist to hang on the fridge; 4.8 million copies went out in May 2018.

A follow-up survey of 5,700 people found 90% noticed the brochure, 96% of them read it, and over 60% planned to save it. The format became a recurring national ritual: an updated edition reached over five million households in 2024.

In 2017 the Swedish government asked MSB, the Civil Contingencies Agency, to rebuild citizens' knowledge of what to do in a serious crisis or war. The last time every household had received such guidance was 1961, and focus groups showed people simply no longer knew how to act.

MSB spent about a year and a half condensing vast amounts of material into a 20-page brochure. Content was written in simple Swedish with short sentences and illustrations, tested on ten focus groups of different ages and backgrounds, and coordinated with the armed forces, municipalities, and volunteer defense organizations.

Communications agency Kreab handled design and illustration. The team deliberately chose thick, uncoated paper so the booklet would feel robust and different from glossy advertising mail, and a pull-out checklist sat in the center so readers could hang it on the fridge. The result — 'If Crisis or War Comes' — was mailed to 4.8 million households during Crisis Preparedness Week in May 2018.

An evaluation of 5,700 recipients found 90% had noticed the brochure, 96% of them had read it, and more than 60% planned to keep it. International media covered the mailing widely, and other agencies and alliances contacted MSB about the approach. In 2024 a revised edition, distributed to over five million households, repeated the same model.

The design goal was retention, not just reach: a checklist to tear out and a brochure worth keeping.

Plain language and focus-group testing made a government subject feel practical rather than official.

Thick uncoated paper and muted design signaled seriousness and separated the booklet from mail advertising.

A physical object in every mailbox created a shared national conversation that digital information could not.

For serious public information, design the artifact to be kept, not just read: concrete checklists, plain language, and physical heft can make a government message something households save.

The 2018 edition became Sweden's standard public-preparedness format and drew inquiries from other countries and organizations. In October 2024 MSB presented an updated version with stronger emphasis on household preparedness; distribution to over five million households began on November 18, 2024, with the text also available digitally and in multiple languages.