Bologna City Branding: How to Create a Generative Logo

1. City branding: from theory to practice Case histories of cities succeeding in creating a new logo: Bologna Eurocities Working Group on City Branding and Attractiveness Genova 10–11 April 2014 Bologna City Branding Roberto Grandi

2. 1 A briefing for the city brand

3. 1–Identification of the most significant features of the identity of the city of Bologna 2–Definition of the repositioning of the city 3–Identification of narrative structures to tell the new positioning of the city A briefing for the city brand The aims of the project Bologna City Branding 3/80

4. A briefing for the city brand The BCBP devoted the first five months to extensive research aimed at analysing perception of the current international (national) brand image of Bologna and at identifying the traits that characterise its desired identity. The international (national) image of Bologna was analysed by: 1–Giving a questionnaire to a sample of foreign/italian citizens who have visited and or stayed in Bologna in recent years (questionnaires completed 405, of which 250 in English and 155 in Italian) (October 2012 – February 2013) 2–Recovering data resulting from research carried out previously on the perception by residents 3–“Reputational”/”Sentiment” analysis of the presence of Bologna on the net, which examined 20.000 texts (during the period December 2012 – February 2013): posts and comments made available on the internet (forums, blogs, social networks, etc.). The International and National Perception of the Image of the city of Bologna Bologna City Branding 4/80

5. The desired identity (Aspirational brand identity) via: 1–Seven Focus Groups, which saw the participation of around 90 significant witnesses from the city, representing the economical, cultural, social and institutional world. (January and February 2013) 2–#Caroamicotiinvito – an online contest to gather stories about the city in the words and pictures of its citizens. (March 2013) 3–The results of the Metropolitan Strategic Plan. The desired identity A briefing for the city brandBologna City Branding 5/80

6. We want to guide the visitor to discover Bologna in the most natural and instinctive way possible. Regardless of his inclinations and cultural interests, he/she must be given the opportunity to be his/her own guide. We want to suggest random immersion, not a prearranged itinerary, and not even a priority choice. We do not want to be the ones to tell him/her what is important for us; we want him to discover the details that are of interest to him/her. We do not want to tell him/her about Bologna, but rather it must be he who offers us his/her personal story. We can offer a city with a contemporary, vital, experimental image, not just history and museums. A briefing for the city brand A briefing for the city brand 6/80Bologna City Branding

7. The invitation to wander and lose oneself in Bologna, a city where both human and sensorial relationships are inseparable. Walking through Bologna’s porticoes is the experiential key that we can offer the visitor: a unique and multifaceted perspective of the past and the present. We want people from all over the world to be tempted to come to Bologna because this is an open city, innovative and welcoming, where you can enjoy authentic experiences and emotions in keeping with your own inspirations. Bologna as an open code which give to everybody the possibility to write his/her own history. A briefing for the city brand A briefing for the city brand 7/80Bologna City Branding

8. Among the over 500 proposals received, the jury has selected the winner: the group of authors Matteo Bartoli and Michele Pastore (Trieste) “The project … proposes a dynamic and open system of identity able to set going processes with the participation of all the population of Bologna, and visitors and institutions. The system, proposing an open code, places at the center of communication, as the principal player, the citizen, and envisions the city of Bologna not only as architecture and physical space, but as the result of a summation of individuals, businesses, vicissitudes, ideas and visions. The project is not limited to proposing an identity system visible through a single graphic proposal but proposes complete development of all artefacts, online and offline. Despite the complexity of the concept, the project shows easy access, and is usable by anybody, of any age, gender or culture.” International competition to create a logo and a payoff for the city of Bologna (July–October 2013) A briefing for the city brand 8/80Bologna City Branding

9. “The problem to be addressed, in studying a possible visual identity for the city, it was therefore twofold: first, to live together in a “brand” the multiple facets and infinite perceptions of the city-that constitute what “is Bologna”. on the other hand, provide the system of sufficient strength and visual coherence to be perceived as such, and thus be an effective tool of connection and tangible enhancement of all these qualities.” Brand New (on line magazine) A briefing for the city brand 9/80Bologna City Branding

10. 2 What is Bologna?

11. — The identity of Bologna is given by a set of unique tangible elements

12. Colli Torre degli Asinelli Piazza Maggiore – Archiginnasio Basilica di Santo Stefano – San Michele Montagnola – Salaborsa – Palazzo Grassi Palazzo d’Accursio – Palazzo dei Notai Basilica di San Petronio – Arena del Sole Palazzo dei Banchi – Fiera – Mambo – Teatro Santuario della Madonna di San Luca Fontana di Nettuno – Stadio Dall’Ara Reno Colle di Barbiano Portici What is Bologna? 12/80Bologna City Branding

13. — but the identity of the city is characterized also from a multitude of intangible and subjective elements

14. Passeggiare Tortellini – Tagliatelle – Ragù Piazza Maggiore – Pupi Avati – Arte Pier Paolo Pasolini – Guglielmo Marconi Cultura – Zuppa Inglese – Cesare Cremonini Lucio Dalla – Fortitudo – Virtus – Lasagna Mozart – Pazienza – Università – Friggione Cardinal Mezzofanti – Alberto Tomba Giorgio Morandi – Certosino Panone – Crescentine Festival What is Bologna? 14/80Bologna City Branding

15. — The identity of a modern city is the result of the union of all these elements

16. Colli Torre degli Asinelli Piazza Maggiore – Archiginnasio Basilica di Santo Stefano – San Michele Montagnola – Salaborsa – Palazzo Grassi Palazzo d’Accursio – Palazzo dei Notai Basilica di San Petronio – Arena del Sole Palazzo dei Banchi – Fiera – Mambo – Teatro Santuario della Madonna di San Luca Fontana di Nettuno – Stadio Dall’Ara Reno Colle di Barbiano Portici Passeggiare Tortellini – Tagliatelle – Ragù Piazza Maggiore – Pupi Avati – Arte Pier Paolo Pasolini – Guglielmo Marconi Cultura – Zuppa Inglese – Cesare Cremonini Lucio Dalla – Fortitudo – Virtus – Lasagna Mozart – Pazienza – Università – Friggione Cardinal Mezzofanti – Alberto Tomba Giorgio Morandi – Certosino Panone – Crescentine Festival What is Bologna? 16/80Bologna City Branding

17. — the project sought to create a visual translation for this multiplicity building an open and inclusive graphic system

18. “The graphic design proposed has sought an appropriate “translation” of this visual narrative, building a graphics system that would give the widest range of stakeholders the ability to contribute without specific expertise to the construction of the visual identity of the city of Bologna. To tell this plurality of meanings and references has been designed a writing system that replaces the graphemes of the Latin alphabet, the abstract signs characteristic. It was thus designed an alphabet of geometric signs, due to an imaginary town typically Ita- lian: the forms freely take up again some figurative archetypes of the Italian city of Bologna, and more specifically (such as walls, brick mosaic, the lily and the heraldic banner of the cross citizen, etc.).” What is Bologna? 18/80 Brand New (on line magazine) Bologna City Branding

19. 3 The image of the city

20. — we designed some abstract geometric shapes that reflect some figurative archetypes of the city of Bologna

21. — For each shape we associate a letter of the alphabet. For every concept that involves Bologna is corresponding a symbol generated by the forms

22. The image of the city 27/80Bologna City Branding

23. 4 Writing method

24. — The shapes are positioned concentrically, overlapping according to fixed proportions, creating composite figures

25. Writing method 30/80Bologna City Branding

33. 5 The visual identity

34. — The coloring of the logos follows a rule that requires the use of two colors that through the use of a given transparency blend together

35. The visual identity 40/80Bologna City Branding

39. The visual identity 44/80 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq8i5l86IWw Bologna City Branding

40. 6 Applications

41. — The system thus conceived becomes a coordination tool for the communication of the institutions and organizations involved in the project

42. Applications 47/80Bologna City Branding

57. Stazione Autostrade Tangenziale Aereoporto Tangenziale San Lazzaro Stadio Dall’Ara Torre degli Asinelli piazza di Porto Ravegnana, 40126 Bologna, Italia 051 647 2113 – www.èbologna.it 4.5 37 recensioni indicazioni – cerca nelle vicinanze Applications 63/80Bologna City Branding

58. — To allow the construction of shared identity creating logos is open and available through the website (beta) ebologna.it

63. 7 Reviews

64. “This is a difficult one to judge. There are aspects of it that I like and others that irk me. (I’m not even going to go into the merits or demerits of this being the result of a contest — the contest happened and this came out, end of story). The underlying concept is quite solid: a flexible, “participatory” identity based on geometric shapes you might see around the city of Bologna as stained glass, wall or door decorations, medieval inscriptions or drawings, etc. Even if they are not shapes directly pulled from specific sources, the aesthetics are there. Typing in a word in the microsite for the new identity lets you see the concept in action and yields you your own “é Bologna” logo where your word and the wordmark make a new logo, i.e., “Ponies is Bologna” Reviews 71/80 Brand New (on line magazine) Bologna City Branding

65. “The generated logos are interesting and intriguing as visual doodads but as identifiers of a city, I am not 100% convinced. The transparency/overlaid effect, to me (and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why), is what takes it from a serious proposition of city branding to just a cool graphic exercise. The applications are attractive, though, and I can see the potential in it — it is particularly and surprisingly convincing when used small as shown in the event materials. Overall, it’s a curious solution that perhaps could have gone through one more layer of refinement in how the icons are rendered and it’s still not clear when or how the city of Bologna will use it but as fodder for us, it’s molto bene.” Reviews 72/80 Brand New (on line magazine) Bologna City Branding

66. 8 City of Food

67. — City Of Food is a project created to coordinate all initiatives on food that take place in the metropolitan area of Bologna

68. City of Food 75/80Bologna City Branding

69. — The goal is to promote Bologna as an international city of food. The visual identity of this project was created thanks to the potential of the generative logo of Bologna.

70. City of Food 78/80 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXgVEPXXaQY Bologna City Branding

71. — Thank you!