Draw peace

All the Nobel Prizes are presented in Sweden, except one - the Peace Prize which takes place in Oslo.
And the Peace Museum is also in Oslo. I'm not very fond of museums, but I found this one expressive and worth talking about. Most of all i like how they draw the 3 parts of Nobel's wish regarding the prize winner (will talk in a bit about them).

From the entrance you see this sign VISIT PEACE. I think it makes it very welcoming and comforting. It's like a trip to heaven, you take a look of what it could be like. The paradise of peace and love. The ticket to hope.
Interesting choice of font. Cut with 2 lines in 3 unequal parts. I wonder if that means something. All I know is that it's part of their branding guide because i saw it on other materials.
The criteria to award the Peace Prize are a little blurry (this is Nobel's will in regard to the Peace Prize): should be awarded to the person who "...shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses"

As visiting the museum in Oslo you will find this very well symbolized. So if you can draw them, you can visualize, express and measure them.

Will just take them one by one.

Abolition or reduction of standing armies:

This is the peace sign you all know, with the contribution of human touch. It's not just peace, it's human intention of living happy together. Joining hands in peace. The symbol itself is very profound, but the connection with the theme is not so visible "abolition or reduction of standing armies". But it's there: shake hands with your enemy and bring together the people that want this. This is one of my favorite symbol ever. Take some time and reflect on it.

Fraternity between nations:

Around the globe there are people shaking hands, agreeing over fraternity.

Holding and promotion of peace congresses:

This is not a spectacular one, but it symbolizes 2 parts of the name: congress - people gathering together and holding - as in holding hands (if you look careful you will see the people in the drawing holding hands. i know is out of context "holding a congress" and "holding hands", but i see it).

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One of the things i liked the most about this museum is the humanity and diversity they want to show. The set of pictures below express that in the best way possible. And this is the philosophy behind peace. We are all people, we are all different, but we have the right to live and be happy.

*pictures taken in Oslo, Norway - 2010. Thank you Yiannis for this opportunity.

keep walking... in 2 (the Johnnie Walker of beer)

A very interesting resemblance with the famous brand Johnnie Walker.


What do you think of this brand? Do you see the similarity, or it's just me?


It's definitely a different style. Johnnie is much more high class - the hat, the cane and body posture. But the similarities are undeniable.
I found some older versions for the Maes Pils logo. It looks like they go back to 1880.



The question is not who was here first, but who has the association. Very helpful at this point would be the opinion of Belgian people. Do they see this, or it's normal for them?

More about the Maes Pils beer: "Maes pils is a brand of Belgian pils brewed by ...." go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maes_pils

eat it !!!

This is a funny way to express eating. I am wondering if it means something. Google doesn't seem to recognized it in any language.


* picture take in Brussels, Belgium - august 2010

Christiania - the land of free (or three i?)

Believe it or not, it's real - the land of free and a place to dream for a better world, a better life and probably happiness. In the center of Copenhagen, in a huge park area (a squatted military territory) a group of hippies took over. And since 1971 the community is still living there. There were a lot of conflicts with authorities during the last 40 years, but they manage to keep the place as a heaven and a hope for those who need to believe in the idea.
This is a picture taken inside Christiania. What do you think of their life?

They have a few laws: no cars, no hard drugs, no guns, no explosives. And the hole community is: 600 adults, 200 kids, 200 cats, 200 dogs, 17 horses, and a couple of parrots.


But in this post I want to talk about their logo. This is it:

First of all I'm going to say i don't like it. And i will tell you why.
Let me start with the meaning. The 3 dots represent the 3 i's in the name Christiania. The sad part is that this is a very superficial connection, meaningless and disconnected from anything that you will find in there. For a place with so many aspirations and with so many different premises incorporated, it's hard to imagine why they chose something so unoriginal. I think they have something more to say then a plain illustration of the name (which by the way wasn't chosen by them. it was attributed to the place before).
The colors are red and yellow because they found in the ex-military space a large amount of red and yellow paint (wikipedia). I can not imagine why this colors were there, but i like the idea. Practical and symbolic.
The more i think of the design, the more intrigued i am. This community stands for so many things: freedom, hope, humanity, peace, optimism and so on. I really think they could have done better with communicating who they are. Release the freedom from the dots. It's too incarcerating and suffocating.


I think it's too naive and meaningless. But also the draw itself is too strict. Look at the logo below. Belongs to a security company. I think it's more suited for this than the free town. What do you think?

The only advantage of this design is the usability and the diversity of context you can use it and still keep the message and the connection.


Inside the "city" most of the things are branded:



So be free or be three? I choose freedom!

This picture was taken inside Christiania. And I find it so very close to freedom and happiness. I spend 1 hour jumping around. It's the most relevant thing for this place.

UPDATE: the 3 dots could also be an ellipsis (Wikipedia.org: is a mark or series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word in the original text. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence.) Like something left unsaid or speechless...

*photos taken in Copenhagen, Denmark - August 2010. Thanks to my good friend Carsten who took the time to take me there and jump on the happiness thing with me.

bRED

I was very amused by this, so i have to share it. In the first weekend of September in Breda (south Netherlands) there is a two-day festival to celebrate people with natural red hair - Redheadday (Roodharigen in dutch). Just go if it fits you.

A nice word play:

xxx

You can imagine the shock I had when I was told that this is the flag of Amsterdam.


And just like that all sort of questions came into my mind. Which was first the flag or the xxx movie rating? What does it mean? where does it come from?

My first instinct was to see the xxx symbol relating to the porno industry and also the symbol for dead cartoon characters.


Apparently the 3 Xs (the St. Andrew's cross) stand for the motto of the city: Valor, Resolution, and Mercy. A more popular version refers to the 3 threats of the city: Water, Fire and Pestilence.

The usage of the 3 xs is wide spread, from the official organization like the University to the Red Light District.



All we have to do now is wait for the .xxx domains to be approved.
By the way, do you think the rating system has anything to do with Amsterdam? Or it's just a weird coincidence?


*photo taken in Amsterdam / august 2010

I AMsterdam

Like all big cities, Amsterdam has its own brand. As in Copenhagen case, it uses part of the name to express it. I think everything started with I ♥ NY - the 70's campaign to promote the city. My impression is that the Amsterdam brand has its root in this concept, but it grow in a different direction. The verb "am" is the best part. It makes you feel you belong there, you are part of what's happening.It's the biggest promise a city can make to a visitor - you will be part of who and what I AM. And considering we are talking about Amsterdam, who wouldn't want that?

In the end of august, there is a huge Sail Parade in Amsterdam. The city brand what present in 3 meter tall letters in the street near one view point of the parade. I think is the best expression of what it really means.
People literally become the city. They "live" in it.
Other use of the brand commitment i saw on a bicycle taxi.

I think is the most personal and friendly city brand. In the same time is about diversity. Who are you? You can be whoever you want to be here...
BE AMSTERDAM!!

*photos taken in Amsterdam august 2010

Thinking of Holland

I love the font they used. You have them in 3 different dimensions, all are readable and memorable.