New brand identity
“Budapest can become the region’s leading city, but this can only be achieved if the capital has an easy-to-communicate and credible brand and brand strategy,” said Deputy Mayor Alexandra Szalay-Bobrovniczky. The first element of the new identity is the new logo for the capital, which is both modern and timeless. It maintains classic elements, but also reflects current trends by streamlining the Budapest coat of arms. The city’s new slogan – “a város, amely egyesít”, or “the city that unites” in English – also reflects the endearing complexity of the capital, in both sociological and geographical respects. The Deputy Mayor added that the new brand identity and identity manual would be completed by the end of the year.
Up until now, there have only been sporadic attempts at developing a comprehensive identity for Budapest: the fundamentals of the city’s current brand identity were established in 2009, but there haven’t been any major changes since then. However, as developments rapidly increase in the online world, the need to develop a comprehensive new visual identity, along with a new logo, has become crucial to the city’s international image. In developing the logo, the most important aspect was for it to contribute to the establishment of a credible and easily recognizable city brand. To achieve this, Budapest residents need to genuinely identify with it.
During the designing process, it was important to maintain the established appearance of Budapest, and create an identity framework that is timeless and can be further developed over time to remain consistent with contemporary graphic design. The uniqueness of the proposed identity can be found in the implementation of the classic, emblazoned appearance into a modern, graphic environment.
“The city that unites”
The logo and the slogan reflect the unifying role of Budapest: how the Hungarian capital unites Buda, Óbuda, Pest, and Margaret Island; the combined heritage of various historical eras with the forward-looking spirit of a modern metropolis; as well as numerous values, experiences, creativity, innovativeness, and last but not least, the diverse residents of Budapest.
Introducing the new image design
The development of a detailed identity manual will be carried out by the Budapesti Városarculati Nonprofit Kft. (BVA, or Budapest City Identity Nonprofit Ltd. in English) in the coming months. The goal is to build up an identity system that exists in harmony with the city, helps the orientation of residents and visitors, and can become an integral part of the city’s everyday life. We will post updates about the progress of this effort, and hope that the new style will help increase Budapest’s growing esteem in the eyes of locals and visitors alike.
