Brussels City Branding
The Challenge
To revitalize branding for a major city. Redesign the city’s logo and design a small print marketing campaign. Branding should be modern and attractive to tourists from all over.
About Brussels
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the seat of the European Union. Known around the world for walkable infrastructure, its diverse population, and decadent food, Brussels is a must-visit for any traveler.
Existing Branding
Ideation
I wanted to create a design that would illustrate both Brussels' historic presence as the seat of the EU and its modern melting pot culture. I explored bold, rich colors and serif fonts.
Mind Map
Type and Color Exploration
Photo Inspiration
Sketches
Digital Drafts
For my first draft I used the existing city flag symbol as the counter in the B. I settled on the typeface Kaoly for it's serif flourishes and thick weight. I was pleased with this direction but felt it could be refined.
The Final Result
I decided to move the teardrop elements out of the counter onto the bottom of the logo. I then used those teardrop flourishes as image containers in the print elements. I aligned type to the flourishes to evoke the fun and unpredictable nature of the city.
Reflection
The most obvious difficulty I had with this project is that I have never been to Belgium! I had to rely solely on research and tourism websites. I fell in love with the city as the project went on but ultimately I think my work would be improved by designing for a city I had more intimate experience with.