Ankunftsquartiere stärken
Minimum viable branding for a research project
The project Ankunftsquartiere stärken helps municipalities strengthen cohesion and community life in new arrival neighborhoods. Following a nationwide review, it supports ten municipalities in western and eastern Germany for two years. Experience from traditional arrival neighborhoods, long shaped by immigration, serves as a reference and for knowledge transfer.
What was needed was a visual identity, above all for the website accompanying the project. The focus was on the presence itself rather than on in-depth brand work. We call this minimum viable branding: a simple, appealing visual identity that conveys the core messages, is recognizable and stands out from other projects. The main audience is municipalities, along with the interested public and Stiftung Mercator as the funder.
From map pin to visual identity
Approach
We started by analyzing similar projects and approaches, along with good and bad examples supplied by the client. A brainstorming session produced several brand ideas, which we evaluated. We visualized the most suitable one and tested it on mockups for brochures, the website and social media posts.
The idea: a map pin
In map apps, a pin marks a place. It stands for a significant place that draws people in. That is exactly what arrival neighborhoods are for the people who live there. We merged the pin with the “a” from “ankunftsquartiere” into a sign of its own. It works on its own or as part of the wordmark.
Colors, typeface and shapes
Strong colors are used individually, complemented by tinted variants. Text panels echo the pin with a tip pointing downward. The client asked for a free typeface. The choice was Switzer by Indian Type Foundry, inspired by classic Swiss typefaces. It steps back and leaves the stage to colors and photos.
Imagery
The photos show new arrival neighborhoods: towns and municipalities away from the well-known big cities, selected for composition and lighting.
Website
We built the website accompanying the project in Webflow, in the new visual identity.
