edenspiekermann_ Edo van Dijk

Last year we invited Dutch illustrator Aad Goudappel to create a series of thematic illustrations for the Utrecht City Theatre for their annual campaign introducing the new cultural season. One of these illustrations recently won two prestigious awards in the USA: a Silver Medal from the Society of Illustrators and a 2013 Illustration Annual Award from Communication Arts. We congratulate Aad with these well deserved accolades!

Aad Goudappel’s price winning work will be on display at the annual exhibition ‘Illustrators 55’ at the Museum of American Illustration in New York from January 30 through March 2, 2013. The exhibit features works by leading contemporary illustrators worldwide, selected by a prestigious jury of professionals.

More about the Society of Illustrators annual competition here.
More about the Communication Arts Illustration Annual here.

Read our blogpost about the Utrecht City Theatre 2012-13 campaign here.

The City of Amsterdam puts the lesser known attractions outside the city centre on the map with a new smartphone app and with special signs, linked via QR-codes to the app. Edenspiekermann developed – together with the Amsterdam Tourism and Congress Board (ATCB) – a series of 140 signs to mark these spots throughout the city.

By doing this, the city hopes to spread tourism by telling interesting stories about buildings, locations and neighborhoods outside of the world-renowned canal belt. We chose a form for the signs that is appropriate for Amsterdam: authentic, handshaped square ceramic tiles reminiscent of the 16th century ‘Hollandse witjes’ (‘Holland whites’). The characteristic red crosses on the signs link the signs both to the locations on the digital map in the smartphone app (x marks the spot) and link the signs also to the Amsterdam logo, consisting of three of these bright red crosses (see also our case study on the Style of Amsterdam).

By pointing your smartphone at the large QR-code at the bottom of the sign, the accompanying I amsterdam app gives you more historic photographs and background information. It also points the way to other signs in the direct vicinity.

The signs are composed of square shaped, handmade ceramic tiles, produced by the internationally renowned Royal Tichelaar factory of Makkum, Friesland. Beedesign was responsible for the fixtures and placement of the signs.

How does the creative process of developing a new brand identity work? Processed Identity is a website that documents the creative processes behind logo and brand identity design. A recently added case study explains how Edenspiekermann developed the award winning identity for the Utrecht City Theatre.

Processed Identity was launched in 2010 by Steve Zelle, a logo and brand identity designer with over twenty years of experience. He currently operates under the name idApostle, based in Ottawa, Canada.

With all the discussion about stock logos and the multitude of sites that highlight logos of the day, Steve Zelle wanted to build a place that goes deeper into the story behind logos. “There is a lot of talk about how pretty something is but not about the thought that goes on behind the logo,” he explains. “The intent of Processed Identity is to illustrate to designers and clients what is lost when engaging in a ‘cattle call’ through €99 logo sites, contests, spec work and crowdsourcing.”

Read the entire Creative Process Study of the Utrecht City Theatre on processedidentity.com