When initiating communication and later disseminating outcomes for your Horizon Europe project, maintaining consistent visual identity is crucial. This ensures that stakeholders following your project’s progress can readily associate information, underscoring prestige and image enhancement. Appealing content carries value, particularly in the digital age where aesthetics matter.
Drawing from our experience, we offer these tips to guide your visual identity development:
1. Reflect Project Goals in Visual Identity:
Your project’s visual identity should be a visual representation of its essence. Carefully choose colors and symbols that resonate with the project’s overarching objectives. These elements can effectively convey the core message and values to your target audience, creating an immediate connection between the visuals and the project’s mission.
To provide you a practical example, we have chosen one of our projects REVERTER. The project aims to develop deep renovation roadmaps to decrease households vulnerability to energy poverty. The main keywords that we worked with are: home, energy, roadmaps, climate, 4 pilots (as the roadmaps will be tested in 4 pilot countries). As a result, we came up with this visual solution.
2. Simplicity in Logo Design:
Simplicity is a cornerstone of effective logo design. A cluttered logo can confuse and alienate your audience. In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, simplicity ensures that your logo remains recognizable and impactful even when viewed on small screens or in passing. An elegantly simple logo is not only easier to remember but also versatile enough to adapt to various communication materials and scenarios.
By chasing simplicity in your logo, you will be easily able to create, for example, favicon for the website or use the elements in other tiny designs and the logo or at least part of it will still be readable and relatable to the project.
3. Anticipate Future Design Needs:
While it might be tempting to create custom icons and elements from the start, this could lead to design constraints down the line. The unavailability of the original designer could impede your ability to maintain visual consistency. Instead, opt for widely available icons or elements. This approach offers flexibility, accelerates design processes, and allows your team to focus on integrating these elements effectively.
In the case of the REVERTER project – these are the simple icons that we complemented with specific colours (chosen to be used for project communication and dissemination materials). The colours of the icons can be easily adapted to fit the needs of specific visual material. In addition, if any new icon for a specific purpose is needed, it is easy to create it, and it will fit the general look and feel of the project communication materials.
4. White Version of the Logo:
A logo that looks striking against a white background is indispensable. Such a version ensures your logo remains visible and impactful on dark or colored backgrounds, ensuring seamless integration across diverse communication materials. This versatility expands the range of scenarios where your logo can be effectively utilized.
5. Versatile Logo Versions:
Different situations call for different logo orientations. Having multiple logo versions ensures seamless adaptability across various platforms. A horizontally oriented logo might fit better in some contexts, while a vertical version might be more suitable in others. This adaptability preserves your visual identity’s integrity in every scenario.
Among these versions you might also want to include the project logo with slogan or at least with very short explanation. This logo can be used when project is represented in events, for example, if the size of the logo on the material is decent.
6. Deliberate Color Selection:
Colors evoke emotions and associations. Opt for a few primary colors that resonate with your project’s objectives and a smaller set of secondary colors to add accents. Consistency in color usage across your communication materials fosters recognition and reinforces your project’s brand. Strategic color choices also help convey specific messages or create distinct sections within your content.
Here are the primary and secondary (accent) colours that we have chosen. Sometimes the materials need some fun touch. We believe that these bright colours will definitely complete their mission.
7. Thoughtful Typography:
Typography sets the tone for your project’s communication materials. Choose fonts that are easy to read across languages (not all fonts support such languages as Swedish, Latvian, Bulgarian, Greek and many other) and backgrounds. A clean and readable font enhances comprehension and accessibility, ensuring that your messages are effectively communicated. Always have a secondary font in mind, ready to step in if any compatibility or legibility issues arise.
By thoughtfully considering and implementing these insights, you’re not just shaping a visual identity, but fostering a stronger connection with your audience, enhancing recognition, and elevating your Horizon Europe project’s overall impact.
Are you starting a new project and you need help?
Do not hesitate to contact us. We will help you design your project’s logo and visual identity.
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