A big plus for Annecy
A collection of cities in the Haute-Savoie region—Annecy, Annecy-le-Vieux, Cran-Gevrier, Meythet, Pringy, and Seynod—decided in 2016 to join and create one, larger, new city called Annecy. This week, creative agency Graphéine revealed their branding for Haute-Savoie’s new capital. (Annecy was the capital of Savoie from 1434 to 1659, as well.)
Graphéine took inspiration from the Savoie crest when designing the logotype, fitting the signature “plus” between the Ns of Annecy. The result is a sharp—albeit corporate-looking—logo, and the negative-space plus sign became the cornerstone of the brand’s visual identity, often interrupting a large red rectangle. Annecy’s collateral looks like it could be for an international furniture company, but the city’s advertising seems to hit the mark. Showing the diverse reasons why someone might want to visit Annecy, Graphéine produced a wide variety of posters, brochures, one-pagers, and a slick video, which makes strong use of negative space.
Annecy's collateral
Advertisements for Annecy.
Typographically, Graphéine chose GT Walsheim, Noël Leu’s geometric sans serif that was inspired by poster designer Otto Baumberger (1889–1961), many of whose posters advertised the Swiss Alps. GT Walsheim is an ambitious choice; its strong character would overpower a less confident brand.
Learn more about Annecy’s new branding on the Graphéine website.
