Refreshed identity

Municipality of Rotterdam

Positive change

Our rapidly-changing world was the motivation for the Municipality of Rotterdam to refresh its visual style. The main goal was to create a style that was inclusive to all citizens which we achieved by using a digital first approach. To that end we focused on inclusivity and accessibility. We refreshed the most important components of the platform without losing the characteristics of the previous style. This way the style remains highly recognisable, whilst the municipality is able to serve its citizens even better in this digitalised world.

What we did

Brand strategy, concept, identity design, UX design, font design, motion design, design system

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https://www.rotterdam.nl/bestuur-organisatie/huisstijl/

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Previous style

The previous style dates from 2008 and was mainly developed for offline use. Our most important task was to keep what was already good and to change only what needed to be improved.

Refreshed style

We redesigned various components of the identity. We simplified the logo to make it digital ready, darkened the primary colour green to create accessible contrast, developed an easy-to-read typeface and made a flexible grid for both online and offline use.

Logo simplified

To preserve the recognizability of the logo we didn’t change the shape. We did simplify the logo to improve its readibility; more transparancy, one color and a more compact typeface.

Social icon

For the social icons we developed a version of the logo based on the characteristic R. The waves were omitted in favor of positioning and readability.

Colors

The primary color green has been adapted to a color with a higher contrast value to meet accessibility standards. Aside from the primary colors we created a secondary color palet, which can be used for infographics, graphs and charts. We also developed a skin tone pallet for diversity and inclusivity.

Design premise

The style was designed to reflect the values and culture of decisiveness and no-nonsense pragmatism. We used angular shapes that are present in both the city and the port.

Designing the best readable font

More than 180 different nationalities are represented in Rotterdam. Approximately 20% of its citizens have some difficulty with the Dutch language. So, easy-to-read typography was one of the main objectives of the project. We developed the most clearly-legible typeface while still retaining the character of Rotterdam, reflecting its solidity and no-nonsense pragmatism. A typeface that is suitable for both on-line and off-line applications. This ensures a consistent and recognizable brand experience, even if the sender is not immediately visible.

Grid and design language

To communicate through different media, flexible design is required. We developed a responsive grid, which makes sure the design looks good in any format and on every device, contributing to a consistent user experience.

Infographics, tables and icons

To create consistent icons and charts we developed a grid, set up in 32x32 pixels. By using this grid both 2D and isometric 3D-shapes can be developed. Subsequently, these shapes can be used in elaborate infographics.