As a central piece of the country’s nation-branding process initiated in 2013, Luxembourg’s new ‘Signature’ was unveiled to the public on October 10. This new visual identity is signed by the Luxembourgish communication and branding agencies Binsfeld and VidaleGloesener, who would like to thank again the IPRN agencies consulted for their precious help on the international assessment of the Signature during its development.
The nation-branding process
The Signature results from a participatory and “bottom-up” process, which, from the start, involved numerous actors from the private and public sectors. In a first step, the “country profile” of Luxembourg was determined in accordance with scientific methods by a research institute and a communication agency. Reliability, dynamism and openness crystallised as the three core strengths or values of the ‘Luxembourg’ brand, giving the country the profile of an ‘ally’, accompanied by the brand promise of going ‘further together’.
In a second step, a ‘Creathon’ (in a way a marathon of creativity) was organised in order to properly express the country’s profile as defined. Beyond communication and design professionals, a variety of people like artists, journalists, historians, cinematographers, entrepreneurs, consultants, young talents and many others came together and developed number of ideas to give expressions to the country’s values and profile. These ideas provided the briefing for the call for tenders. Binsfeld partnered up with VidaleGloesener, a full design agency, to take part and eventually win the call. Building on the concept of the ‘X-Factor’ produced during the Creathon, both agencies strived to come up with a strong visual identity for Luxembourg authentically reflecting its strengths and communicating the opportunities it holds.
The third phase of the process is promotional and has started with the presentation of the Signature. To start with, the Signature can already be seen conveying its message on strategically chosen spots, namely Luxair aircrafts, the train stations of Luxembourg City and Belval University just like in the ‘Luxembourg House – Concept Store’, a window for Luxembourgish quality products in the heart of the capital.
‘Luxembourg’s Signature’
As to ‘Luxembourg’s Signature’ itself, it is conceived as the country’s shared signature and consists of the symbol X, the lettering “Luxembourg” and the Invitation ‘Let’s make it happen’. A signature is unmistakeable and communicates a clear statement: ‘This is what I stand for’. The stories and personalities of its people as well as its social development constitute Luxembourg’s unique character and define its shared values: reliability, dynamism and openness.
As a central element, the symbol X stands for what makes Luxembourg special:
– its openness and the ability to bring people together in such a way that reliable connections and new ideas can develop within this dynamism; and
– the diversity of the possibilities that the country offers to all inhabitants, visitors and partners in a stable environment.
The X is made of four red and blue arrows, whose double alignment underlines the mutual exchange.
The invitation ‘Let’s make it happen’ is addressed to each and everyone, inviting them to use the many possibilities offered by our country for both their own and the shared successes. ‘Let’s make it happen’ reflects the values of our country while keeping the invitation open and thus allowing everyone to feel concerned by it.
The two elements of the symbol X and the invitation complement each other and communicate as ‘Luxembourg’s Signature’ the promise for which the country stands: moving forward together.
Luxembourg’s Signature lives through its applications. The examples shown here are just the start and the more diverse these become, the stronger their impact, both in Luxembourg and abroad. Everyone wishing to be an ambassador for our country can leave their mark on an unmistakeable and strong overall image through the interaction of all applications.