History with a future

Strategy, Corporate Design, Webdesign Public History Munich

Public History explores the past in relation to the questions of today. Understanding historical contexts and recognising recurring patterns helps us to better understand the present and the future. The department of the city of Munich develops and supports projects to commemorate important individuals, places and influential events from the history of Munich.

Strategy: Turning a Department into a Brand

A new brand is to be developed for the Public History division of the Cultural Department. It is supposed to appeal to younger target groups, making them interested in commemorative culture and bringing history to life. Strategically, a meaningful positioning of the brand within the brand architecture of the city of Munich is to be developed and implemented.

The logo’s position on the website and on other media acts like a news ticker. Inspired by the concept that the significant news in today's ticker is the historical events we will remember tomorrow and that must not be forgotten. The website itself is clear and well-organised, striking a balance between scholarly content and emotionally engaging material.

Forward into the Past

The design quotes the scientific foundation on which Public History operates. The typographic layout aligns with the visual language of scholarly and documentary works.
In contrast, a modern aesthetic is introduced in the colour scheme and layout. The design conveys seriousness and credibility, emphasising the crucial emotional and empathetic aspects of historical research and communication.

Show your colours

To visually connect the past with the present, the colour palette is fresh and contemporary. Vibrant colours are combined with desaturated tones to create different layers.

Darstellung der Farbpalette. Aufgeteilt in kalten, warmen und neutralen Farben.

The corporate design visualises that history is not a completed process, but constantly reassembles itself from changing perspectives. The logo runs across displays or print formats like a timeline. Just as there are turning points in history and like memory is also a reflection of our present, the logo reflects itself on the surface.

Ink traps – against forgetting

The insertion of ink traps is a technique that prevents the ink from running into the acute angles of the letterforms and forming spots when printing small font sizes. This method has historical roots in preserving the fine details of typography and its readability.

Nahaufnahme einer Ink Trap.
Darstellung zwei verschiedener Raster auf zwei Plakaten.
Abbildung der Wortmarke. Links steht die Abkürzung PHM mit Ink Traps versehen. Rechts ist der Name in Versalien ausgeschrieben.
Abbildung des Social Media Logos. Die Abkürzung PHM steht einmal linksbündig und darunter einmal rechtsbündig in abgeschwächter Deckkraft.

As a reference to history, the ink traps are part of the word mark. They appear in the initial letters of Public History München and symbolise PHM's work: the commitment to fighting forgetting and the dark spots of history and consciously setting accents. Dots can also be found as markings on the layouts. They complement a fixed grid for images and colours.

Abbildung der Corporate Schrift „ABC Monument Grotesk“.
Abbildung der Corporate Schrift „ABC Monument Grotesk Mono“.

Feed the History

The new design provides a contemporary access to historical content in order to appeal to a broad audience. A white bar connects all posts and also serves as a clear documentary reference point for the content even after it has been shared.

Eine Übersicht des Instagram Kanals in der neuen Identity.

History is now.

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