Utrecht Marketing
Utrecht Marketing needed a new corporate identity, a further development of the style that we already developed in 2009. The corporate identity had to be renewed because the playing field in which Utrecht Marketing finds itself has become increasingly international. The objective of Utrecht Marketing is to stimulate economic growth and strengthen the substantive values of the city brand. This means that the new corporate identity is not only aimed at residents and visitors, but also at (international) companies and talent.
The story of Utrecht
The logo and corporate identity are based on the coat of arms of Utrecht. The diagonal red area refers to the story of Saint Martin who cut his cloak in two to share with a beggar, which symbolizes two important brand values for Utrecht, “sharing and connecting”.
Sharing and connecting
The U is already widely used in Utrecht. And since the U has the shape of a shield, the link was clear. The idea of “sharing and connecting” was subsequently carried through consistently throughout the corporate identity. There’s a small number of simple rules put in place, which guarantees complete freedom for communication while maintaining recognizability. The diagonal of the Utrecht coat of arms is the driving force of the style. It resembles a division sign, and as such symbolizes the value of “sharing”. Every communication item must use it in some way, but in what way exactly is mostly free. It can divide up colour fields or images in a multitude of ways.
Quintessentially Utrecht
As of 1 July 2020 the new corporate identity is in place. The simple rules ensure that all expressions are immediately recognizable as from Utrecht. So the result is not only recognizability but, with the “sharing” division sign, also a constant visible engagement with the stories, customs and attitudes that are quintessentially Utrecht.
Want to know more about this case? Get in touch with Hugo!
- Hugo van den Bos
- Strategy Director Branding
- (+31) 06 51 14 11 36
- hugo@totaldesign.com