Logo Land by Lecturis

LOGO LAND A compilation of all the municipality logos of the Netherlands

CONTENTS PG. 5 PG.

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208

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About the book Introduction Forewords Origin of municipality logos Types of municipality logos Provinces and municipalities in the Netherlands Stories of municipality logos Author’s view Facts and figures About the Author Glossary

About the book

LOGO LAND tells the underlying story of the municipality logos of the Netherlands. There are 352 unique municipalities in the Netherlands. Each municipality has its own unique logo. A logo is more than just a picture or a tagline. A logo tells the story about what makes a municipality unique through a combination of visual forms and wordmarks. A good logo and brand can build a strong community, attract entrepreneurs and businesses, and increase tourism. In everyday life, whether you are born in a particular municipality or living in one or just visiting, we come across these logos. Sometimes we see these logos on the municipality building, on the official letter, and even on the vehicles from the municipal organization. Seldom we ask ourselves the true meaning behind these logos. Some of us tend to associate spending money on a corporate identity for municipalities as a cost or waste of money. These are the people who tend to call the municipality or government organization outdated when they don’t meet the modern-day look and feel. One of the key missing links is that people are unaware of the process, the storyline behind the logo, and corporate identity. There is more to a municipality logo than its basic visual shape and appeal. This book provides answers to all the following questions for all the existing municipalities of the Netherlands.

What is the origin of the logo? What is the meaning of the logo? What is the meaning of the shape, forms & colours? For the very first time in Dutch history, this book dives deeper into the interesting story of all the logos. The unfolding stories of all the municipalities from the smallest to the largest in the Netherlands are captured in 55,000 words. There are books and websites containing information about the coat of arms and flags of all the municipalities. However, there is hardly any information available about their logos. The reader will get a complete overview of all the logos in this book. The booklovers will be able to explore the Netherlands without stepping out of the house and learn about all the fascinating hidden stories behind the logo.

Introduction I moved to the Netherlands from Bangladesh in 2011 to pursue a Master’s study in Maastricht. After finishing my studies in 2012, I found a job in one of the royal companies in the Netherlands, situated in North-Brabant, and I moved to Eindhoven. I fell in love with the city and its good vibes from day one. How can you not fall in love with Eindhoven? It is an inspiring city, the city of light with a world-famous design academy, a city full of life, and thousands of smiles. At the end of 2016, the city started placing these high-tech Citybeacons throughout the city centre, where I have first seen the new logo of the municipality of Eindhoven. As the days and months went by, I kept on seeing this new logo throughout the city. One day, I had asked one of my colleagues, “Why does the logo look like this?” He was able to recognize the logo but did not know anything about the meaning. The same evening, I went home and did some research on it. The next morning, I told him the story behind the logo and its design. He found the unfolding story behind the design of the logo fascinating. At that same moment, the wild idea about writing this book was born. Little did I know what I was getting myself into. The Netherlands has 352 municipalities, and each of them has its own unique logo. I told myself, a year has 365 days, and if I can spend ten minutes a day per municipality, I will find information about all the logos in one year. At first, I thought it was going to be quite easy to find the information, especially in this time of technology, where information is at your fingertips. I still remember that evening like it was yesterday. I sat down with my laptop around 7 pm and started searching for the story behind the logo of “Municipality of Aa en Hunze.” In a blink of an eye, it was 10.30 pm, and I could not find any information about it. There was

plenty of information about the coat of arms (in Dutch wapen) and flags of the municipality, but nothing about the logo. The research was even more challenging, as I had to search, find, read, and translate everything from the Dutch language to English. Did I forget to mention, I was a new Dutchy who recently learned Dutch and became a proud Dutch citizen in 2018. I was not ready to give up that easy. With my newly learned Dutch language skills, I started researching, reading, contacting the communication department of every municipality possible. My beautiful wife, Anna-Lena Biswas, helped and supported me tremendously with her fluent Dutch language skills. She had corrected my emails, which I wrote in Dutch and she helped me with translating when I was lost in jargon. Before I knew it, I became a proud, fulltime employee of the company during the day time, and in the evening I was a brand researcher. I was emailing, WhatsApping, sending messages via social media, calling the municipalities and several municipality archives. Some of the logos were so outdated that I realized that some information was not even available with the municipalities. So I needed a time machine. In this era of technology, I have found not only one, but I have found two time machines. I discovered two amazing websites, named Delpher and Waybackmachine, which let you travel back in time. I started reading Dutch newspapers from the 80’s and started revisiting websites of the municipalities up to 15 years back. I even contacted mayors of different municipalities directly through my friends and contacts. Various methods of communication media were used to research and complete this book. I became addicted to this little research of mine. No pages or sites were left unturned to find the information about municipality logos.

I am truly grateful to all the people from the municipalities, brand agencies, designer, and archives, who took the time to provide me with the information, and who were equally enthusiastic about this book. Researching and writing this book in the evenings or during the weekends gave me joy, gave me energy and made me happy. It took me two wonderful years to complete writing this book. I learned a lot about the Netherlands in the last two years. Writing this book made me travel in time as I was reading books, articles that were written before I was born. I came to know and learned about the history and beauty of different cities in the Netherlands. This book is my little piece of happiness, which I want to share with you and the rest of the world. I hope this book will help you to learn about your municipality through its logo, whether you were born there, currently live there, or just visiting.

Foreword by Jan van Zanen

Sometimes it takes an outsider’s view to see and appreciate the things you take for granted. Amit Biswas, who was born and raised in Bangladesh and has lived in the Netherlands since 2011, brings this outsider view to the topic of municipality logos. The stories behind the logos of the 352 towns and cities in the Netherlands are fascinating and should be part of every citizen’s general education. As mayor of The Hague and chairman of the Dutch union of municipalities, the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten, I dedicate my professional life to the public cause. I’m driven to bring people together, to show up for citizens who struggle to keep up and to help municipalities serve the interests of their inhabitants. For me, the best way to make a contribution is through local government. This is where the large half of our lives take place. We identify ourselves with the city or village we live in. ‘Where are you from?’ is one of the first questions people ask when they meet someone new. It’s the place that we call home. The place where you contact the government when help is needed. It’s also the place where you practice your civil rights. Where you vote, marry, register as an entrepreneur or declare the birth of your children. The Netherlands consists of 352 municipalities and they all have their own history, their own character, habits and even dialects. Our country is relatively small, but Dutch people tend to experience large differences with people that live in a different part of the country, or even in the next village. The small and sometimes scattered scale of how we are organized can sometimes be a challenge. But in my opinion, it’s also a big asset of the Netherlands: there’s room

Provinces and municipalities in the Netherlands The Netherlands is a country which is equivalent to the size of a state in the United States of America. The name Netherlands literarily means “Low Land” as most of the areas are below sea level. Our country is famous for its flowers, windmills, cheese, wooden shoes, water management, and the reclaiming lands from the sea. Consisting of only 41,528 km², the Netherlands is made up of 12 provinces with 352 municipalities. While Friesland and Gelderland compete with each other in terms of the largest province in the Netherlands, NoordBrabant province is one of the biggest when it comes to the highest number of municipalities. Whether it’s the biggest province or biggest municipalities in terms of land, people, and water area, all these municipalities have one thing in common. They all have their own logo, which has their own story to tell.

Province

of Municipality

Noord-Brabant

Zuid-Holland

Gelderland

Noord-Holland

Limburg

Utrecht

Overijssel

Friesland

Zeeland

Drenthe

Groningen

Flevoland

Total

352

Friesland

Groningen Drenthe

Overijssel Noord-Holland Flevoland

Utrecht

Gelderland

Zuid-Holland

Zeeland

Noord-Brabant Limburg

Stories of the municipality logos

Aa en Hunze

GM1680

The logo showcases the characteristics and core values of the municipal organization. The logo consists of four identical blocks, representing the four former municipalities of Anloo, Gasselte, Gieten, and Rolde. In 1998, these four former municipalities merged to form the municipality of Aa and Hunze. The blocks together represent unity even though they are not connected. The circle reinforces this symbolic unity in the middle. Mathematical synchronism refers to the equality between the four former municipalities. The design of the logo makes it versatile in terms of usage. For social media platforms, the municipality uses the blocks with the reinforced circle. The form elements with the wordmark “gemeente Aa en Hunze” is used for printed materials. The colour green refers to the surrounding greenery and nature. The colour blue refers to rivers and water. Province: Drenthe Designer: Grafiek Creatieve Communicatie Year of design: Approx. 1998

Aalsmeer

GM0358

The logo showcases the unique characteristics of the municipality. The logo consists of two form elements in the shape of a flower. The logo stands for growth and blossom. Floriculture is inextricably linked to the history of Aalsmeer. In the 19th century, the areas around Haarlemmermeer were drained. Fishing became less popular and the inhabitants began to focus on growing trees, fruit and vegetables, especially strawberries. Flower cultivation started at the end of the 19th century with the cultivation of roses. At the beginning of the 20th century, several Aalsmeer flower growers set up an auction to get a better price for their flowers. Aalsmeer is known as the flower capital of the world. The world’s largest flower auction takes place here. Flowers from all over the world are traded every day in this gigantic building. The logo radiates all these unique characteristics and a vision towards growth. The spring green colour stands for leaf. The wine red colour stands for flower and strawberry. Province: Noord-Holland Designer: Unknown Year of design: Unknown

Aalten

GM0197

The logo is inspired by the coat of arms of the municipality. The logo consists of a lime tree of sinople along with the wordmark. The municipality has used more complementary colours, sleek design, styling, and typography. The lime tree of sinople derived from the coat of arms of the municipality. The lime (linden in dutch) tree in heraldry is the symbol of the court tree. The tree symbolizes roots in society with respect for nature and the environment. The colour green and orange is part of the corporate identity, has no specific meaning. Province: Gelderland Designer: team ComBo Year of design: 2010

Achterkarspelen

GM0059

The logo showcases the geographical characteristics of the region. The logo consists of a friendlier outline of these erratic trees with profiles of human faces. The double lines/eight lines refer to the name of the municipality. The name Achtkarspelen refers to the eight-core villages (Augustinusga, Buitenpost, Drogeham, De Kooten, Kortwoude, Lutkepost, Surhuizum, and Twijzel) in the middle ages. All these eight core villages together formed the grietenij Achtkarspelen. The grietenij of middle-ages is similar to current municipal administrative districts. Therefore, the word ‘acht’ is highlighted in a blue colour to give more emphasis. The Dutch word ‘acht’ means ‘eight’ in English. The trees capture the typical landscapes within the region. Situated in Friesland, the landscape characterized by narrow fields and surrounded by trees and bushes with a glimpse into the lower open peat areas. The logo was designed to radiate a modern, people-centric, and result-oriented municipal organization. The municipality uses light blue and grey colours to give a fresh and contemporary look. Province: Friesland Designer: Visser en de Graef Communicatie Year of design: 2009

Alblasserdam

GM0482

The logo is inspired by the coat of arms of the municipality. The logo is a combination of the wordmark “Gemeente Alblasserdam” and two coloured garlands. The colours are derived from the coat of arms. The coat of arms consists of a shield with a climbing lion on it. The shield is divided horizontally into two parts in red and golden colour with a lion divided into opposite colours of gold and red. The design of the logo uses these two colours red and yellow (representing gold) in a modern and playful manner. The colour red stands for heroism and courage. The colour gold represents wisdom and wealth. Province: Zuid-Holland Designer: Impuls Ontwerpt Year of design: 2007

Albranswaard

GM0613

The logo showcases the unique characteristics of the municipality. The logo consists of two form elements that resemble drops. The two drops refer to the two core villages Poortugaal and Rhoon. In 1985, these two former municipalities merged to form the municipality of Albrandswaard. The colour red derived from the coat of arms of Rhoon, and the colour blue is from the coat of arms of Poortugaal. The logo is a modern translation of the historical aspect of the municipality. After the merger, a new coat of arms was created using elements of the former coat of arms of Poortugaal and Rhoon. The colours blue and red are prominent in the coat of arms. Province: Zuid-Holland Designer: Unknown Year of design: Unknown

Alkmaar

GM0361

The logo consists of the coat of arms of the municipality. The logo consists of a minimalistic and contemporary version of the coat of arms along with the wordmark “gemeente Alkmaar.” In 1254, the coat of arms of Alkmaar was granted by count Willem II. In the middle ages, Alkmaar was an important strategic point in the fight against the West Frisians. Situated on the edge of the Kennemerland and under the protection of the castles Torenburg, Middelburg and Nieuwenburg, Alkmaar functioned as a border fortress and base in the centuries-long battle against the West Frisians. The castle in the shield is possibly the 13th-century Torenburg castle. The two climbing lions are holding a shield and crowned by a green laurel wreath. Just below the shield is a white ribbon with the motto “Alcmaria Victrix,” which means “At Alkmaar begins the victory.” Province: Noord-Holland Designer: Unknown Year of design: Unknown

Almelo

GM0141

The logo is inspired by the coat of arms of the municipality. The logo consists of six diamond-shaped form elements in different shades of blue. The origin of these shapes is from the coat of arms. The coat of arms contains a blue shield with three silver diamonds on it. It is derived from the Lords of Almelo’s coat of arms, which already had three diamond shapes on it. The municipality has taken the three diamond shapes and made a variant with a mirroring effect of them. The colour blue is derived from the coat of arms.

In 2007 the colourful bar was added to the logo, which symbolizes the versatility of Almelo and its inhabitants. It is the DNA of the city/municipality, similar to the double helix structure of human DNA, which consists of different colours. Province: Overijssel Designer: Unknown Year of design: Unknown

Almere

GM0034

The logo showcases the geographical characteristics of the region and the core values of the municipal organization. The logo consists of the text ‘Gemeente Almere’ and a vignette of the letter A. The robust and dynamic perspective of the ‘A’ and the horizon suggest space and openness: an open landscape and an open organization. The municipal organization position itself as an efficient, goal-oriented organization, focused on quality and open towards to the citizens through the logo. There are many forests, parks and nature reserves within the municipal region. The forest area, Almeerderhout and the nature reserve of Oostvaardersplassen are situated within the municipality region. The vastness of the landscape is portrayed through the logo as well. The pacific blue colour is a combination of blue and green. The blue colour stands for the abundance of water, and green is for nature. Province: Flevoland Designer: Total Design Year of design: Approx. 2002

Alphen aan de Rijn GM0484

The logo showcases the geographical characteristics of the region. The logo has an urban appearance in which innovation plays a visible role. The logo complements the natural flow that represents movement and development within the municipality. Alphen aan den Rijn is situated within het Groene Hart. Het Groene Hart which means in English the Green Heart. Het Groene Hart is a less populated area within the Netherlands that is known for vast nature reserves, water areas, and agriculture. The area attracts a lot of tourists and plays a vital economical role. The blue flowing line showcases the movement through the water of the river Oude Rhine and Gouwe, and the movement in the economic landscape of het Groene Hart. The line is the movement that connects. The vibrant colours stand for air and the land. Overall the logo is designed to have human activity as central in combination with characteristics of nature and its movement. Province: Zuid-Holland Designer: VRHL Content & Creatie Year of design: Unknown

Alphen Chaam

GM1723

The logo is inspired by the coat of arms of the municipality. All elements of the logo refer to the history of the area. The two triangular elements are a representation of the mountains (alps), and the three green lines are representing the Comb from the Coat of arms of Chaam. The pronunciation of the Dutch word Chaam is “Kaam,” which means in English “Comb.” The logo has a vast symbolism that represents a field with haystacks. Furthermore, the colour green emphasizes the rich nature the municipality has to offer. Province: Noord-Brabant Designer: Unknown Year of design: Unknown

Altena

GM1959

The logo showcases the geographical characteristics of the region. The logo consists of a triangular form element in a trinity of green and blue colour. The transition of the colours and flowing shape of the logo refers to a region in motion. The organic shape of the logo is inspired by the outline of the territory. This trinity symbolizes unity, dynamism and an open, and friendly municipality. Cooperation and unity among the core villages (Aalburg, Werkendam, and Woudrichem) are radiated through the smooth merger of the colours. In 2019, these three former municipalities merged to form the municipality of Altena. The colour blue and green refer to the natural environment, such as water and greenery. The municipality is home to part of the largest nature parks in the Netherland, National Park De Biesbosch. The polder landscapes and the rivers surrounding the island are captured through the colours green and blue. Province: Noord-Brabant Designer: Perswinkel Communicatie Year of design: 2018

Author’s View A municipality logo is more than just a picture or a tagline. A good municipality logo tells something about what makes a municipality unique through a combination of images and words. It represents the history, culture, people, and landscape in a visual form. Even today, in the digital era the information about the meaning of the municipality logos is hard to find. There is a lack of transparency in communication. It is quite common to find adequate information about the logos of the large municipalities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht, and Eindhoven both in online and offline mediums. However, when it comes to smaller municipalities, information about logos are difficult to find. In many cases, municipality logos were created in an era when digital archiving of data was uncommon. As a result, even the municipalities themselves have no information available. The unique and beautiful stories of these Dutch municipality logos tend to get lost during an update or introduction of a new logo during the merger of municipalities. Based on the data by CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek), there were 1,121 municipalities in the Netherlands in the year 1900. Today, many of these municipalities have merged to provide better services and optimal usage of the budget for its citizens. In 2021, there are only 352 municipalities in the Netherlands. In the future, the number will reduce as more municipalities will merge. Due to the lack of archiving and publication, many of these stories about the logos have been lost with time. Our municipality logos are true Dutch designs. These logos should be actively promoted and preserved as they represent a snapshot of our current times and bridge to our history and culture. Each municipality should include the meaning,

origin story of its municipality logo on the website and the municipality guides. Active transparent communication will bridge the gap between awareness of the logo development process and its true meaning. Another creative approach can be to create an open-source municipality logo and corporate identity. The open-source logo will allow its residents, businesses, and designers to create their interpretation of the official logo. Such an approach promotes the spirit of collaboration in the city, higher acceptance by its citizens, and fuels creative inspirations. An example of such an open-source logo is the Eindhoven Logo.

communicates the intended message and contributes to the recognizability of the municipal organization. The municipal organization and the communication department need to ensure that the newly introduced logo and corporate identity is communicated with the same level of consistency. A creative communication package can work as a positive catalyst to make the launch of a new logo and corporate identity an inspiring success story. Some municipalities such as the Municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg introduced an extensive set of icons that were designed based on the characteristic places within the region form during the introduction of the new logo and corporate identity.

Different approaches can be applied while modifying and introducing the new municipality logo. In the process of successfully creating and introducing a new logo, the following aspects should be considered: Answer the question “Why” Consist of simple storytelling Involve its citizens in order to evoke emotions and acceptance. These aspects can be beneficial for municipalities in several ways. First of all, this will increase the involvement and collaboration among the citizens and municipal organizations. Secondly, it will promote the municipality to its residents, visitors, investors locally and internationally. Finally, the right mix of participants, process and design will craft a municipality logo that will last and can be used for various purposes. The success of introducing a new logo and corporate identity relies on the consistency of usage and the entire communication package. Consistency ensures that the design of the logo and corporate identity

Such an approach reinforces brand recognition, simplifies communication about various everyday matters and helps to emphasize the values and ambitions of the municipality. This book is a snapshot of all the municipality logos and their stories in our current time. As an author, I truly hope that this book will inspire the municipalities, government organizations and individuals to actively archive municipality logos both in the Netherlands and abroad. Similar to art forms, archiving these logos will preserve our history, culture, and valuable contextual information surrounding each of the logos. Next time you come across the logo of a municipality or a city of any country, I hope this book inspires you to ask the question “What is the meaning of the logo” and discover the amazing stories behind it.

Facts & Figures This section will give you an overview of the number of municipalities per provinces in the Netherlands. Currently (2021), Netherlands has 352 municipalities. Almost every year municipalities are merging to provide better services and facilities to their residents through optimal usage of budget. At the same time, it indicates that we have lost the information about municipality logos and their stories over time. Hundreds of municipality logos, their unique stories and information about the designer have been lost due to lack of archiving, an initiative to preserve the information.

Number of Municipality

1200

1000

800

600

400

200

0 Year

2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1990 1980 1970 1960 1950 1940 1930 1920 1900

Types of logo

Number

Geography

Inspired by the coat of arms

Heraldic

Characteristics (USP)

Mix (Geography & Core Values)

Typographical

Mix (Heraldic & Geography)

Mix (Characteristics & Core Values)

Mix (Geography & Characteristics)

Mix (Heraldic & Core Values)

Vision & Core Values

Mix (Heraldic & Characteristics)

8 352

Geography Inspired by the coat of arms Heraldic Characteristics (USP) Mix (Geography & Core Values) Typographical Mix (Heraldic & Geography) Mix (Characteristics & Core Values) Mix (Geography & Characteristics) Mix (Heraldic & Core Values) Vision & Core Values Mix (Heraldic & Characteristics)

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