A Designer in Europe

A Designer in Europe AN ADVENTURE IN 19 LOGOS

BY WILLIAM ROTH

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TRAVEL GOAL

Lisa and I talked of traveling since we met. In fact, I got her to go out with me by making a cardboard, fabric and paper window view of Cinque Terre, Italy, so that at her desk at work she could look out at her favorite place. We talked so often of our past travel adventures we knew we had to plan something soon before too much life happened. We saved up, cut costs, and even moved from our cozy three bedroom cabin to a dark, tiny basement apartment while we planned our adventure.

We wanted to go for an extended period, stretch our funds as much as possible, and explore beyond the traditional tourist trails. The region of Central and Eastern Europe excited us. We booked a ticket to Amsterdam with a return from Athens, Greece, 4 months later. We wanted the lexibility to make decisions on the ly so we made only a few accommodations to begin our trip. After endless conversation, planning, saving, and sacriice, our adventure became a reality.

DESIGN GOAL

I wanted my mind to stay sharp with design and grow as a designer, so I challenged myself to create a logo for each city we visited along the way. It turned out to be a great way to capture and distill our memories as well.

I would start with the logo for each city right after we left.

In Paris, I was working on Amsterdam where we just came from, and so on. I only had a few days for each before I needed to start working on the next one. Some logos are for fake companies I dreamt up or a brand for the city itself.

Some logos simply act as a jewel for my experiences.

1

Departure / Départ

2

DATE

PAGE

PAGE/DESTINATION

COUNTRY

09:16 09:19

004 012

Amsterdam Paris

Netherlands France

09:23 09:28

020 026

Alsace Region Český Krumlov

France Czech Republic

10:04 10:11

032 038

Prague Kraków

Czech Republic Poland

10:18 10:22

044 050

Zakopane Eger

Poland Hungary

10:25 10:29

058 076

Pécs Ljubljana

Hungary Slovenia

11:02 11:09

084 092

Piran Hvar

Slovenia Croatia

11:13 11:15

100 106

Mostar Sarajevo

BiH BiH

11:27 12:03

112 120

Belgrade Soia

Serbia Bulgaria

12:06 12:14

126 134

Veliko Tarnovo Istanbul

Bulgaria Turkey

01:06

142

Peloponnese

Greece

DELAYED DELAYED

THE NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam We arrived in Amsterdam early in the morning. When we got to our hostel Lisa immediately asked the receptionist for the closest cofee shop. He looked disappointed in us until I mentioned we actually wanted cofee.

We put in some serious miles walking around the city, exploring the neighborhoods, shops, art museums, and cafes. We also ventured beyond the city like biking to a neighboring village, ferrying across the river to an artist enclave, and bussing into the countryside.

My impression of Amsterdam can be condensed into one moment. While sitting in a cafe, I watched a woman expertly place her three children, all with little backpacks, on diferent parts of her bike and rode of.

IHEARTBIKES LOGO

I was Inspired by the Dick Bruna exhibit in the Rijksmuseum and our amazing bike ride to the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. I wanted to draw the bicycle the way Bruna might have.

6 | Amsterdam

INSPIRATION - DICK BRUNA

One of our favorite experiences was visiting the Rijksmuseum. They had a temporary exhibit for Dick Bruna, a Dutch author, artist, illustrator and graphic designer. He was well known for his children’s book character Mify, a beloved rabbit.

Bruna was inspired by Henri Matisse and the De Stijl Movement.

SUPPORTING GRAPHICS

Amsterdam | 7

10 | Amsterdam

INSPIRATION - BIKE RIDE TO OUDERKERK AAN DE AMSTEL

Obviously riding a bike in Amsterdam is a must-do activity. There are four times as many bikes in the city than cars.

I’m not sure where I got the idea for our route, but it turned out to be a magical ride.

We were able to experience some city riding before making our way out to the countryside. The path followed the river and took us past classic windmills, a sprawling park, a modern cemetery, and golden ields. Our destination, Ouderkerk, is a village on the Amstel river. It has lovely cafes, great for taking a break before heading back to the city.

Amsterdam | 11

FRANCE

Paris We weren’t planning to go to France, but Lisa’s sister was in Paris for work and her best friend from high school was just inishing up his France trip. The stars had aligned and we couldn’t pass it up.

We arrived into Paris via what would be our most expensive and fancy train ride of the trip. We met up with our two familiar faces and walked through Paris as we caught up on life. In the periphery of our conversation were the Seine River, the Louvre, and the Eifel Tower. It was such a great way to experience the city.

I didn’t think I would like Paris. I thought it was overhyped.

I was wrong. I can only call it grand, and I don’t think that word does it justice.

CAFÉ INVADER LOGO

This is one of three designed tile graphics for Café Invader, my ictional street artist persona. The inspiration came from Invader, a French street artist and my newfound love of the iconic outdoor café two-tops.

14 | Paris

INSPIRATION - INVADER, STREET ARTIST

Epakai / lickr.com CC BY-SA 2.0

Achim Hepp / lickr.com CC BY-SA 2.0

No matter where we went in Paris, the street artist Invader had placed one of his ceramic tile works.

Also invading the spaces of Paris are café tables crowding the streets.

INSPIRATION - CAFÉS

Paris | 15

CAFÉ INVADER STRIKES AGAIN

18 | Paris

FRANCE

Alsace From Paris, we took a train to Colmar in the Alsace region of France, known for their storybook villages and vineyards.

This region, which sits on along France’s eastern border, switched control many times between France and Germany.

The result is a charming mix of both cultures inluence on the cuisine, architecture, and language.

We rented bicycles and rode from village to village, stopping to check out local shops and wander the cobbled alleys.

In between each village, we got a great vignette of the grape harvest. Trucks parked alongside the road were illed with containers of freshly picked grapes. Closer to the villages, the smell of winemaking illed the air.

ALSACE REGION LOGO

Alsace features many old buildings with patterned ceramic roof tiles. Wine from the region is a sweet white variety, traditionally served in a speciic green glass. Once I saw the glass shape in the negative space of the roof tiles, I knew I had my logo.

The three glasses represent the three languages spoken in the region: French, German, and Alsatian.

22 | Alsace

INSPIRATION - WINE COUNTRY AND ROOF TILES

This glass, common in the region, is an evolution of the traditional glass dating back to 1700 BCE. Forest Glass, as it’s called, it is made of salts and sands found in Germany and France that give it a green color.

Alsace | 23

ALTERNATE LOGOS Here are diferent iterations of the logo to be used across mediums.

SUPPORTING GRAPHICS The logo can be used as a window for imagery and textures throughout the region.

STATIONARY The transitional font Baskerville feels right at home in the storybook villages of Colmar and Eguisheim. I chose Avenir as a secondary font to make the identity feel more modern.

24 | Alsace

CZECH REPUBLIC

Český Krumlov We holed up in Strasbourg, France, for two days to plan the next few weeks of our trip. It was time to get to Central Europe. We linked up an impressive amount of regional trains in a 24-hour period to traverse Germany and spent a disorienting night in Prague before getting on the train for Český Krumlov, a small town in the southern Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. From the train station, we descended into the valley and got a good look at what was in store. The city surrounds an elaborate castle, while the Vltava River snakes through town.

After a castle tour, we wandered into a tiny door in a cold corner of the castle to ind a hidden art exhibit by Miroslav Paral. Distorted and abstract igures were to be found in every room of the yellow-lit, stone cellar. Also in Český Krumlov, we were introduced to the work of Egon Schiele and Josef Váchal. There is a conlicting tension and intense passion in all of their work. The art we would discover in the Czech Republic would become some of the most impactful of our trip.

Č.K. RAFT GUIDES LOGO

This logo is inspired by the medieval history of Český Krumlov, and our unforgettable experience kayaking down the Vltava river.

28 | Český Krumlov

INSPIRATION - KAYAKING THE VLTAVA

Traveling in the of-season has its perks and drawbacks. We were lucky to catch the kayak rental company the day before the owner was set to take a vacation. We had the river to ourselves.

During the Summer, this river is packed with boats taking multi-day trips, loating from campground to campground. The river lows through Český Krumlov, and then into the surrounding forests. A series of dams with chutes allow small watercrafts to pass through.

Unknown to us, the last chute we went through had been raised for the end of the season. It was more of a steep drop than gentle slide. It gave us quite the thrill to end our voyage.

We got picked up in the outskirts of Zlatá Koruna, a neighboring town with riverside restaurants. We celebrated a great day on the river with a refreshing Czech beer, Budweiser Budvar.

Český Krumlov | 29

INSPIRATION - FIVE-PETALLED ROSE The Rosenberg coat of arms and emblem were represented by the red ive-petalled rose. Their symbol can be seen throughout southern Bohemia.

In the Summer, Český Krumlov hosts ive-petalled rose celebrations where they do reenactments similar to the renaissance festivals in the U.S.

FONT - MATIZ The font needed to be fun, rugged, and bold enough for use on the watercrafts.

This font, Matiz, also has an inlatable rubber look to it. One issue with Matiz is that it doesn’t contain glyphs for the Czech alphabet. I manually added the accents used in the logo.

COLORS

30 | Český Krumlov

APPAREL AND KAYAK GRAPHIC

FLAG AND BADGE - FIVE-PADDLED ROSE

Český Krumlov | 31

CZECH REPUBLIC

Prague In returning to the hustle and bustle of Prague, we found our cheap hotel on the outskirts of the city center. In a city seemly overrun by tourists, its location made us feel more like residents. We ate at the mall, shopped for groceries, and whined about all the tourists with their selie sticks and Segway tours.

The force that is Czech Art continued as we visited the National Gallery. It was illed with impressive traditional and modern art as well as more works by Egon Schiele.

The shining star though was Alphonse Mucha’s Slav Epic, composed of 20 large-scale canvases. I’m talking 26 ft tall.

Why people crowd around the Mona Lisa when the Slav Epic exists is a mystery to me.

PODZIM FESTIVAL PRAHA (PRAGUE FALL FESTIVAL) LOGO

This logo combines our experience exploring Prague during Fall, with ive of the city’s many spires. Prague is known as “The City of 100 spires.” I decided to create the Podzim Festival Praha or Prague Fall Festival.

34 | Prague

INSPIRATION - GOLDEN AUTUMN

Leaves were changing yellow and red as we explored Prague. The city center is very congested with tourists, so we most enjoyed Prague by traveling along the forested periphery.

My favorite spot was sitting in Letna Park with a hot chocolate, overlooking Prague and all its spires.

Prague | 35

INSPIRATION - SPIRES This is the Old Town Bridge Tower, which I feature in the logo. The other spires in the logo are from the Petřín View Tower, St Nicholas Church and Bell Tower, and the odd Žižkov Television Tower. If the Podzim (Fall) Festival lasts 20 years, we might be able to feature all of them.

INSPIRATION - ART NOUVEAU TYPE The inluence of art nouveau is on full display throughout Prague. It was fascinating to study the patterns and type from this art period. I used this particular font specimen as inspiration to bring the Prague Fall Festival a local voice. It was fun to try to imagine letters I needed but weren’t in this print.

36 | Prague

POSTER - PRAGUE FALL FESTIVAL

Prague | 37

POLAND

Kraków My paternal grandparents are from Kraków, so I really wanted to check out Poland. Lisa was initially frustrated when I spontaneously and accidentally booked a nonrefundable room in Zakopane, Poland, a week beyond what we were planning. This meant we had to linger in the Czech Republic and Poland a little longer than expected.

Maybe it was the abrupt snowy weather or Lisa’s ice cold stare for my planning mishap that gave me the lu upon arrival to Krakow.

It could have been the lu meds, but I really fell in love with Kraków. It’s a city with a magniicent castle, a university where Copernicus studied, young creative energy, and important history from the early Middle Ages through WWII.

WAWEL ZUPA (SOUP) RESTAURANT LOGO

This logo incorporates the Wawel dragon myth and my experience exploring Krakรณw with the lu, limited to eating soup and drinking tea. With my newfound expertise in Polish soups, I decided to open a ictional soup restaurant, Wawel Zupa.

40 | Krakรณw

INSPIRATION - WAWEL DRAGON You could argue that a city isn’t truly great unless it comes with a dragon myth. Krakow does. A Polish prince, Krakus, defeated the dragon and built his palace on top of the dragon’s lair.

The Wawel dragon is seen in everything from waterspouts to statues, and plenty of souvenirs.

I imagine that it must have been a great day for the designer who created the dragon icon. How do you distill a dragon den into wayinding signage?

INSPIRATION - SICK ON ARRIVAL It was snowing when we arrived in Krakow, and the change in weather rocked my immune system. I had to play a game of charades with the pharmacist to get GripEx Max, which I now swear by, and would love to have on hand any time I get sick.

I didn’t want my cold to interfere with exploring, so I had to rely on Poland’s solid soup game, GripEx Max, and winter tea to get me through.

Winter Tea Recipe Hot Water, Tea, Cider (for Mulled Cider), or Red Wine (for Mulled Wine) 1 Tbsp. Honey 1 Orange Slice 1 Lemon Slice 1 Fresh Ginger Slice 1 Cinnamon Stick Pinch Whole Cloves Pinch Allspice Berries Pinch Nutmeg

Kraków | 41

This curated menu represents all the best dishes we ate in Poland.

It starts of with master class chicken broth and works its way into a complex Wild Mushroom Soup, served in a bread bowl. Groats, or Kasha, are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains.

They are very earthy and can come served with various meats, veggies, and sauces.

Zapiekanka is a street food comprised of baguette-like bread topped with veggies and cheese. It’s kind of like an open-faced pizza sandwich. If you care for a beer, we serve Zywiec.

KrakĂłw | 43

POLAND

Zakopane Train law dictates that if there are only a few people on the train, they are obligated to sit awkwardly close to you. On our train to Zakopane, Poland, we were in a compartment with an older woman who was on her way back from Warsaw. In the space of a few hours, she peppered us with personal questions and attempted to make the case my grandmother was in fact not Polish, but Galician. She also mixed in a few local anecdotes on the weather, in particular, the term Golden Autumn. I’m glad she introduced that phrase because it was a perfect way to describe what was happening in the Tatra Mountains around Zakopane.

The day was starting to fade by the time we arrived, so we dropped our bags of and scrambled up a ski slope to witness one of the most beautiful sunsets we’ve ever seen. We spent the next few days taking in the local culture, eating stinky cheese, stumbling upon amazing woodworking designs, and hiking in the mountains where around every corner was another breathtaking sight.

ZAKOPANE LOGO

The logo combines diferent goral elements. My grandparents are from Poland and before the War, they would vacation in Zakopane. I imagined a stamp that would accompany a letter they could have sent.

46 | Zakopane

INSPIRATION - GORAL CULTURE

The Gorals are an ethnographic group that lives in the Tatra Mountains. Their nationality is not associated with a speciic ethnicity but rather the territory. Goral literally means highlander.

Their mountain expertise is shown and celebrated through their dress and tools, which I capture in the logo.

Zakopane | 47

STATIONARY AND BAG

The various elements of the logo can be pulled apart and used separately in diferent applications. Here are a few examples on stationary and a tote bag.

48 | Zakopane

HUNGARY

Eger Due to my logistical errors in planning Poland, Lisa was excited to take the lead in booking our next country, Hungary. Having spent a good amount of time in Prague, going to Budapest seemed like an extension of the same.

We really relished the smaller towns earlier in the trip so we opted to bypass Budapest in favor of longer time spent in smaller Hungarian towns.

Eger, a wine rich region in the north, was our irst stop.

We stayed at Napsugรกr Apartments, an old guesthouse on the outskirts of the town. Our host was an old woman who we had great interactions with, despite a complete language barrier. In private we afectionately referred to her as Mama Napsugรกr and imagined she would worry about us if we stayed out too late.

This gave us the idea for Rent-a-Granny, a travel service where you can book a Grandma in the city you are visiting.

She will make you pastries, take you shopping, and fuss about your well-being.

EGER LOGOS

52 | Eger

EGER LOGOS

Eger | 53

INSPIRATION AND WINE BOTTLE

Eger is known for its thermal springs and wine production. A popular draw of their wine culture is the “Valley of Beautiful Women,” a cluster of small tasting rooms cut into the hillside.

54 | Eger

The regional red variety is called Bikaver, or Bull’s Blood. It’s bitter and intense. We ended up loving the sweet red and got a liter to take on our travels. It didn’t last long.

INSPIRATION AND WINE BOTTLE

The local white wine is called Csillag, or Star of Eger. It’s sweet and much more universally palatable than the Bikaver.

It’s worth noting that this is not a Napa Valley experience.

Generous pours lead to the entire valley turning into one big party. String bands travel from cellar to cellar serenading increasingly tipsy patrons.

Eger | 55

INSPIRATION AND BRAND EXTENTION

Eger’s charm would not have been complete without a fortress, one that has rich tales of Hungarians defending the city from the Mongols and then the Ottomans. The statues and memorials in town represent brave Hungarians, most with distinct mustaches, ighting of attacking forces.

56 | Eger

INSPIRATION AND BRAND EXTENTION

Even though Eger fought back many invaders it could not win them all.

Eger’s fortress was handed over to the Turks in 1596. The minaret rising from the town’s center is the northernmost minaret from the Ottoman Empire.

Their inluence is still present in the public bath culture and in its cuisine.

Eger | 57

HUNGARY

Pecs With a liter of Eger wine in tow, we got on the train for Pecs.

It was on this train, with the wine, and bluegrass music in my headphones, heading for the unknown, that I realized my apex moment of travel.

Pecs, it turns out, is this little cultural gem. It’s a college town, with a history dating back to the Romans. There is a world-renowned porcelain, tile, and stoneware production facility, Zsolnay, with a porcelain museum cataloging a storied history of their work. Their stunning eosin designs and tile work could be found all around the city. There’s live music, hip cafes, and a sophisticated theatre scene.

It did take us about two days being there to igure out how to pronounce the city name though. “Pay-ch.”

PECS LOGO

While most cities with an ancient history have some mix of old and new, I haven’t seen anywhere like Pecs that incorporates the historic buildings and artifacts with such style and intention.

60 | Pecs

INSPIRATION - OLD AND NEW INTERTWINED

Whether it’s modern art weaving through Roman ruins, or drywall artistically crafted with peeks of the old walls visible, Pecs seems to love to incorporate the old with the new in a playful, deliberate manner.

Pecs | 61

CONCERT - GET YOUR GUN

Whenever we weren’t too tired from a day of exploring, we liked to experience some local nightlife or live music. In a weekly events paper, we saw that the Norwegian band, Get Your Gun, was playing at a bar and decided to check it out. Their sound was a mix of metal and passionate old sagas.

62 | Pecs

MUSICAL - A PADLÁS (THE ATTIC)

We were walking by the Opera House and decided to see if they had any upcoming shows. It turns out that they did, but were sold out. As we were about to leave the attendant gave us an option of sitting on the stairs in the balcony for $1 each. How could we pass that up?

The show was a popular Hungarian musical, A Padlás. It’s a story about a computer hacker that works with mythical ghosts, and a robot he built, to ight of a thief who was hiding in the hacker’s attic. It was all in Hungarian.

We couldn’t understand a single word of it and had a blast.

Pecs | 63

COLORS - ZSOLNAY PORCELAIN

64 | Pecs

COLORS - CANDLEMAS CHURCH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (FORMERLY MOSQUE OF PASHA QASIM)

Pecs | 65

SLOVENIA

Ljubljana Each train ride felt like a breach into the unknown. It was exciting but somewhat unsettling. The sky grew dark when we crossed the border into Slovenia and the train snaked through the forests on our way to Ljubljana.

The city surrounds a 12th-century castle and has a vibrant art scene, cafe culture, and a ton of chestnut vendors.

Our good friend from Wyoming has extended family from Slovenia and put us in touch. Our trip highlights continued to be the moments spent with friends, new and old. They taught us about Slovenia as we toured around.

PLEČNIK MUSEUM LOGO

Wherever we went in Ljubljana there was a structure designed by Jože Plečnik, and in every structure there were a gratuitous amount of columns.

With Ljubljana’s already vibrant art gallery and museum scene, I thought that the city itself could serve as the Jože Plečnik Museum. So I created a logo, some tickets, and a mini-tour.

78 | Ljubljana

POSTER

I focus all the graphics on cutouts, gradients, and silhouettes of the columns. Ljubljana is such a trendy city. I chose the font Lekton, a modern, mono sans that feels both progressive and European.

Ljubljana | 79

MUSEUM TOUR AND TICKET

Triple Bridge Jože Plečnik 1932

The Triple Bridge s a group of three bridges across the Ljubljanica River.

It connects the historical town on one side and the modern city on the other.

Stritarjeva ulica 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

80 | Ljubljana

We used the statue nearby multiple times as a meeting point, as do many locals. It’s a great place to jump of to various bars, restaurants, and shops.

MUSEUM TOUR AND TICKET

Central Market Jo탑e Ple훾nik 1942

Adami훾-Lundrovo nabre탑je 6 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

We were staying near the Central Market. They had shops under the columns selling meats, breads, and espresso drinks. There were endless stalls selling fresh produce under large canopies.

The weather was perfect for chestnuts so we picked some up at a nearby stand to snack on while we shopped.

Ljubljana | 81

MUSEUM TOUR AND TICKET

Žale Cemetery Jože Plečnik 1942

Med hmeljniki 2 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

82 | Ljubljana

One highlight of our entire adventure was meeting up with a friend’s Slovenian extended family. We initially met with them for drinks on Halloween night and asked if they celebrate the holiday. They celebrated the Day of the Dead which was the following day, and they invited us to come along.

Everyone gathered at the cemetery to light candles and remember lost loved ones. It felt like the entire country had come to the cemetery.

People greeted friends and family as they walked to loved ones’ grave sites and among the stalls selling candles, flowers, and snacks.

MUSEUM TOUR AND TICKET

St. Michael Church Jože Plečnik 1939

Črna vas 48 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia

After the cemetery we thought they were taking us back to our apartment but found out that they had a whole day planned. They took us to this unique church in the countryside. We then went to a honey farm run by a friend of theirs.

We sampled large quantities of honey and honey liquor. Still not done, they took us to their parents’ place where we talked for hours over Slovenian wine and charcuterie. It will be almost impossible to repay their hospitality.

Ljubljana | 83

SLOVENIA

Piran Our journey to Piran was overly complex and confusing.

Train track maintenance created a situation in which Lisa and I ended up alone on the side of a forested road waiting some time for a bus we weren’t even sure was coming.

It was getting dark, and multiple buses were passing us by.

After what felt like forever ours inally came, but it only drove a few miles before stopping to wait for yet another bus. We did inally arrive in Piran and the town greeted us with a moon-lit coastal harbor, and fresh seafood.

I’m not going to lie. I got extremely lazy when we got to the Adriatic Coast. After traveling for the last month through colder and colder weather, I really embraced the temperate climate, relaxed atmosphere, and abundant seafood. Life is slower by the sea.

PIRAN LOGO

I saw a sailboat out in the distance while on a coastal hike from town to town. I saw the letter P in the sail and knew immediately that I wanted to turn it into the logo for Piran. The diiculty was to try to get the script to resemble waves and still be readable. After many sketches I inally got it.

86 | Piran

INSPIRATION AND APPLICATION

Piran gives you an endless amount of elegant textures and relaxed colors.

The sea is integral to the culture and the people living along the Slovenian coast. I imagine the extended branding to mix the land, buildings, and sea through various mashups and cutouts.

Piran | 87

INSPIRATION - TARTINI SQUARE

Photo: Stephen Turner, Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

88 | Piran

SHIRT AND TOWEL

Tartini Square is the main square in the town. It was named after violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini. The waves and boats can be used to create sheet music. I would have loved to develop this idea further, with custom mermaid clefs.

The waves can create a familiar blue stripe pattern found in coastal design.

On a hike along the coast one day, we accidentally stumbled upon a nude beach. Maybe a towel and a pair of sandals are all you need!

Piran | 89

CROATIA

Hvar We had learned a few weeks prior that some friends would be in Croatia. Our travel style to plan only a few days out made it easy to shift our journey toward Split, Croatia.

To meet up, we took a ferry boat from Split to the island of Hvar where one of them had been bicycle guiding for an outdoor travel company.

We rented scooters and took of to explore the island. Our friend knew all the best spots. We went over mountains, through tunnels, and onto hair-raising, clifside dirt roads.

The apex of our entire four-month adventure was lunch at the home of a local resident our friend knew. He cooked us fresh ish coated in the family olive oil, and we drank local wine. After lunch, we tried to repay him by helping his family harvest olives.

SPIKY BALLS SCOOTER GANG LOGO

This is a back patch for the scooter gang we made up while traveling around Hvar with close friends.

The name Spiky Balls is a reference to the Lychee berries we found along the way but didn’t know what they were called at the time. We tried to come up with a better name throughout the day but for better or worse the name stuck.

94 | Hvar

INSPIRATION

Scootin’ around Hvar, Croatia with great friends. This was a highlight of our entire adventure.

Hvar | 95

LARGE BACK PATCH

98 | Hvar

SHIRT WITH ALTERNATE GRAPHIC

Hvar | 99

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Mostar At this point we were just over half way into our 4-month journey. With a tentative goal for Istanbul, we headed east and further out of our comfort zones. Mostar, in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, struck us with a mix of war, wonder, and warmth.

Mostar’s recent war-torn history was hauntingly visible.

It felt raw and tangible. Tourism had been slow to return to the city. An artist we talked to was really happy we decided to spend a few days in Mostar. He talked about the city getting back on its feet and how important tourism was.

Lisa was sketching the Mostar Bridge from the open air market one day when a family of vendors began admiring her work. One of them, a local woman, really liked the sketch and wanted to make sure Lisa had food and a place to stay. The next day before our bus out of town, Lisa went to the market and gave the woman the inished sketch.

She was ecstatic and gave us oranges and pomegranates from her booth in return.

MOSTAR LOGO

The Stari Most (Old Bridge) of Mostar is tied to the identity of Mostar. The logo is made of two unconnected shapes representing the conlict and creates a reverse silhouette of the bridge.

The type is made from various cuts of the bridge to further reinforce its integral role for the city. My goal with the identity was to capture tension and conlict but also a path for the future.

102 | Mostar

INSPIRATION - STARI MOST BRIDGE AND WAR

During the War in Bosnia, the old bridge served as one of the only paths to the front lines. The bridge was covered with metal and plywood to serve as cover from sniper ire.

It was shelled for six months before collapsing into the river below.

Even today the Croats and Bosniaks mostly live on one side of the bridge or the other.

We were sitting under the bridge one day eating a snack when a local teenager approached us. He shared stories about his life in Mostar. There was a hopelessness in his voice as he spoke of his country’s corruption.

Mostar | 103

ALTERNATE VERTICAL LOGO AND HOPE

104 | Mostar

COLORS ADN TEXTURE - GRIT AND FUNKINESS

Mostar deserves more than just being a lunch stop where tourists snap a photo of the bridge and leave. Mostar actually has a lot going for it and some residents are hopeful for the future.

There is a local art community adding life and positive energy. The city is situated in a beautiful valley, with a river of white-blue water running through it. Minarets rise from the town and create an ambiance with the call to prayer every evening.

There is even a statue to Bruce Lee in one of the parks, created by a Croatian sculptor as a symbol of unity. This city wants to bounce back and rebuild but it’s a long road ahead.

Mostar | 105

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Sarajevo

Midway through our trip, we realized that a great way to get a sense of a city is to get above it. One of our irst days in Sarajevo, we hiked up a hill to catch the sunset. Smoke from furnaces heating the homes illed the air. We could see the surrounding mountains, putting the 1990’s siege of Sarajevo into perspective. The most striking sight were the white stone cemeteries cutting through the city.

Walking up the hill, we could see every gravestone had dates from 1993-1995.

In one of the war museums, they were playing the documentary Miss Sarajevo. The ilm followed teenagers’ daily life during the siege of the city. These are kids wearing MTV and Disney shirts. They laughed as they dodged sniper ire on the way to a house party. It really hit home and made me feel that war can happen anywhere, even my city.

SARAJEVO ‘84 TO ‘94 LOGO

The Olympic logo is immediately recognizable and evokes emotions of friendly competition and global unity. I wanted to contrast that feeling with the explosion of a mortar round.

I also spray paint ‘94 over ‘84 as a way to show the short passage of time since the Winter Olympics.

108 | Sarajevo

INSPIRATION - ABANDONED OLYMPIC BOBSLED TRACK

I have been to regions that have been recent conlict zones. I’ve heard katyusha rockets exploding in the distance in the Golan Heights of Israel.

Sarajevo was the irst time that war felt very real and close. This was a city that 10 years previously hosted the Winter Olympics. The bobsled track was used as a sniper post during the siege of Sarajevo. As an Atlanta native, that juxtaposition really afected me.

INSPIRATION - SARAJEVO ROSE

Unlike Mostar, Sarajevo has been able to rebuild and seems to be in a position of moving forward. While they repaved damage roads they decided not to cover up the mortar damage. Instead, they painted them red as a reminder of the war. They are nicknamed Sarajevo Roses and one serves as the inal ring of my Olympics logo.

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ALTERNATE LOGO

In place of any Olympics rings, in this logo variation I use only the image and texture of the Sarajevo Rose.

The mortar splatter gives the logo a conlicting energy.

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ALTERNATE LOGO

In this logo version, I took the shapes of the people celebrating in the middle and made tanks that surround them to represent the siege of the city.

The people in the middle are no longer seen as celebrating but instead pleading for an end.

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SERBIA

Belgrade The journey from Sarajevo led us through Tuzla, a small town in northeast Bosnia. It was the sight of a fortiied U.S. Air Force base during the Bosnian War. We met several residents who worked with the U.S. military during that time and were later brought into Iraq due to their existing relationship. Nobody we talked to understood why we wanted to stop in their town, there is admittedly not a lot to do there in the winter, but they were so friendly and eager to practice their English.

In contrast, Belgrade, Serbia, is a grand European capital along the Danube River. We hadn’t been in a city like this for a month or more. There are grand buildings and plazas, a vibrant art culture, and world-class nightlife. We ended up seeing live music every night we were there.

ARRIVAL TO CYRILLIC ANIMATED GIF LOGO

I created an animated GIF where a travel board cycles from the Latin to the Cyrillic name for Belgrade. It didn’t hit me until we were crossing the border that we were going to have to start learning a new alphabet. GIFs don’t work on paper, so here are a few frames displayed vertically.

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Eger | #

INSPIRATION - CYRILLIC SIGNAGE

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INSPIRATION - CYRILLIC SIGNAGE

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LOST IN TRANSLATION

It was quite a journey from Serbia to Bulgaria. As a break in travel, we were in Niš, Serbia for a few nights. The owner of our apartment didn’t speak English so anytime we wanted to communicate with him he would call his wife who acted as a translator. He walked us to a restaurant one night because he couldn’t tell us directions. One universal language though is alcohol.

As we were about to leave for the bus station he said, “Rakija?” We knew this meant brandy. He wouldn’t let us leave with just one shot though, and coaxed us into three shots.

“Like the Russians,” he said.

It might have been the buzz, but we mused on the way to the bus how on-alert and disorienting it can feel entering a new city coming from the station, and how comfortable it can feel after only a few days heading back.

We spent the next 4 hours on the bus, really needing to use the bathroom. This became an even bigger problem when we got to Soia. We had to pay to use the facilities and hadn’t yet taken out any Bulgarian currency.

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BULGARIA

SOFIA Soia was ruled by the Thracians, Greeks, Romans, and Ottomans. It was a socialist republic from the 1940s to the late 1980s. All these cultures have left their mark on the city with a peculiar mix of architecture and monuments found throughout the city.

I was raised Jewish. On our travels it was always interesting to discover the origin, or similarities, of many Jewish traditions with other European ethnic cultures. On a tour of Soia, our guide showed us the Horo, a traditional Bulgarian folk dance. It closely resembled the Hora, a celebratory Jewish dance. It gave me a tangible sense of how, due to the diaspora, Jews adopted and mixed regional traditions and later brought them to the US and Israel.

SOFIA COSMETICS LOGO

This logo might be the closest I’ve been able to come with executing a very conceptual idea. The logo combines a lion and a rose, both clear symbols of Soia and Bulgaria.

122 | Soia

INSPIRATION - LION AND BULGARIAN ROSES

The lion is not only the national symbol for Bulgaria, the country itself is shaped like a lion facing east. Just like Michiganders point to their hand to tell you where they live, Bulgarians use the mental image of a lion. Unfortunately for Soia residents, the city is located near the igurative lion’s rear.

As much as you see lion symbology, it’s really all about the rose. Rose tea, rose honey, and rose cosmetics are sold everywhere.

Rose Valley, Bulgaria is famous for its rose-growing industry which has been thriving there for centuries and produces 85% of the world’s rose oil.

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My father owned a cosmetic store while I was growing up. I used to mix perfume samples like potions in the back room when I was at the store.

I remember the paper that was used to spray the perfume for customers to smell. The feathered texture tries to capture that, as well as bringing a youthful, almost spray paint look.

The logo is also used large as a pattern or small as a jewel on diferent cosmetic products.

BULGARIA

Veliko Tarnovo Considering the lion shape of Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo ittingly sits on the lion’s back. The city clings to the clifs along the serpentine bends of the Yantra River and is the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Our apartment overlooked the city. It was diicult to look anywhere but out onto the vista. We ate our meals and drank our cofee out on the balcony. There were layers of mountains in the distance, a castle on the top of a hill, and a massive sword monument sitting in the middle of the city. It was easy to imagine this place in a completely other time.

VELIKO TARNOVO LOGO

This logo uses the style of statues in the center of town, with an experience with a wild dog that left quite an impression on us.

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INSPIRATION - ASENEVTSI MONUMENT

In the center of the main bend of the Yantra River is a striking monument of a large sword with people on horseback circling it. Guarding the statue are two winged lions.

The Asen Dynasty Monument is dedicated to Ivan and Peter Asen, who led a bloody rebellion against Byzantines in 1186. The Asen family went on to rule Bulgaria for a century.

This period is known as the Second Bulgarian Empire, with Tarnovo serving as the capital city. The statues depict the irst four Asen rulers: Ivan, Peter, Kaloyan and Asen II.

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INSPIRATION - HIKE TO ARBANASI One day, without much information, we decided on hiking a local trail to Arbanasi, a small village about 5 miles away on top of a plateau. I don’t think we ever found the right trail, but we did eventually make it to our destination.

On the hike back to Veliko Tarnovo, we were accompanied by a black dog.

We kept thinking he’d turn back at any moment, but he led us all ive miles back. He never got too far ahead, and always checked to make sure we were following.

When we got to the irst busy intersection back in town, the dog was too scared to cross. We felt bad there wasn’t something we could do for the dog, but we were grateful for his brief companionship.

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INSPIRATION - OUR GUIDE DOG BACK TO TOWN

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TURKEY

Istanbul Lisa got me a t-shirt in Istanbul that read, “They call it chaos, we call it home.� It sums up the city very well though even calling it a city is diicult. The metropolitan size is over 2000 square miles with a population of 15 million.

The mega-city spans two continents.

We spent two weeks in Istanbul, one week on each side of the Bosphorus. We barely felt like we scratched the surface, but we accomplished a lot. We attended a cooking school, took a ferry out the Prince Islands, and even accidentally walked the red carpet of a new Turkish movie premiere.

We climbed towers above the city and explored the cisterns below. We wandered the markets and mosques and witnessed several public protests regarding the ongoing Kurdish conlict. I went to a local Turkish bath where roundbellied, mustached men guided me through the experience despite a complete language barrier.

ISTANBUL COOKING SCHOOL LOGO

136 | Istanbul

INSPIRATION - FOOD SHOPS AND COOKING SCHOOL

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INSPIRATION - ISLAMIC TILES

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APRON

140 | Istanbul

TILES The amazing tile designs throughout Istanbul made me want to design my own. Once I decided to make a logo for our experience at a cooking school, everything instantly came together.

These tiles are bright, colorful, and modern. I imagine this backsplash in the kitchen of the ictional school.

ALTERNATE LOGO EXAMPLES Each of the diferent fruits, vegetables, and symbols can be swapped and used singularly while still keeping the identity of the school intact. I imagine school instructors gravitating to their favorite ingredient, maybe the pomegranate, and using that as their apron logo.

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GREECE

Peloponnese Looking out from the train windows traveling from Thessaloniki down to Athens, Greece, it became so clear how ancient Greeks perceived the gods. The landscape is striking with jagged snow-capped mountains and rocky clifs into the sea. It’s the itting landscape of Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, and Ares. In Athens, it was easy for me to picture life in ancient times as we walked among the ruins of the Agora with the Acropolis reining above. What a magniicent, opulent time for humanity.

After exploring northern Greece and Athens for a week, our friends from Wyoming, Jim and Cristina, lew out to meet us for the last week of our 4-month adventure. We rented a car to road trip around the Peloponnese peninsula. We jumped into freezing blue waters, watched unbelievable sunsets, and drove coastal and mountain roads stopping in villages and ruins along the way. Of course, we also ate some of the best seafood in the world. I will say it one more time, adventures are best experienced with great friends.

Kaliméra, kalispéra, kalinychta, yassou!

PELOPONNESE ARTIFACT LOGO

This logo is inspired by all the great ancient ceramic art we saw. Just like Istanbul with tiles, I knew I this would be the inspiration for my logo. My aim was also to justly capture our time with great friends.

144 | Peloponnese

INSPIRATION - GREEK RUINS, POTTERY, AND MUSEUMS

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SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION

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1. Three dogs joined us while climbing the 913 stairs up to the Fortress Palamidi in Naplion. They never left our side as we explored the fortress and then accompanied us all the way back down to the town center before being shooed of by café waiters.

2. We saw a three-leafed clover symbol throughout the Peloponnese. Eventually, we learned that it’s a symbol of the Panathinaikos soccer team.

3. After seeing many old men sitting outside playing chess and drinking frappés, I knew I had to try one. This isn’t the typical high school Starbucks milkshake. After drinking one, you will experience an increased heart rate and irmly believe you can shoot lightning bolts out of your hands.

146 | Peloponnese

4. The two olive branches represent two olive related experiences we had. During a drive, we stopped in a small town where an old lady was adamant to sell us a large jar of olives. She won.

The other experience was in the olive region of Amissa, where we were convinced we could get an olive tour.

After stalking several olive production plants, we ended up in the oice of one producer, who directed us to a hardware store where he alerted the clerk to give us a free giant jar of olives.

5. Two cats came with our apartment in Galaxidi. They greeted us each time we came home and nestled up with us on the porch where we watched stunning sunsets each night.

6. We really had 2½ friends traveling with us as Cristina was pregnant during the trip. Leo Coyote Wynn might not remember the trip, but I’m sure he beneited from the great food we had!

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7. I tried to capture each member of our group in an identiiable way. Here Cristina is drawn with her headwrap and braids, a look she rocked during the trip.

8. We had some of the most amazing and adventurous meals I’ve ever eaten, and I wouldn’t be able to count the number of ish we consumed. One of the most memorable meals was a 5-course dinner at O Bebelis in Galaxidi. The owner was about to close the restaurant when we came in. He proceeded to cook a master class in local cuisine while telling us his family history, complete with the family photo albums.

9. This horse body is not a symbol of anything, Jim is actually a Centaur. It was great to have a real centaur, one of the few left in the world, to tour us around the ancient Greek ruins. He brought excellent irst-hoof experience to the myths and legends.

INSPIRATION - TRAVELING WITH GREAT FRIENDS

Elwiki74 / Wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0

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PALAMIDI FORTRESS AND NAFPLIO

148 | Peloponnese

DELPHI AND GALAXIDI

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PLATE (500 BCE - 460 BCE, DELPHI) AND COFFEE CUPS (2018 AD, MANHATTAN)

150 | Peloponnese

ALL LOCATIONS PINNED ON MAPS.ME

We used the Maps.Me app for its oline ability to navigate to our accommodations and transportation hubs. I only realized once we returned home that I actually captured our entire journey.

I want to put pins on the whole world.

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UNUSED LOGO CONCEPTS FOR AMSTERDAM, PARIS, PRAGUE, KRAKOW, AND VELIKO TARNOVO

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UNUSED LOGO CONCEPTS FOR LJUBLJANA AND SPLIT

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PRAGUE APARTMENT

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EGER CAFE

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BAR IN KAZIMIERZ DISTRICT, KRAKOW

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SARAJEVO BREWERY AND GREECE APARTMENT

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MORE INFORMATION https://willroth.co willrothco@gmail.com

PUBLICATIONS FEATURING THESE LOGOS Under Consideration, Quipsologies – April, 2016 Will Roth designs a logo for each place he visits on his Europe trip.

Design Taxi – April 4th, 2016 Graphic Designer Creates A Logo For Each City He Visits Across-Europe Broadsheet.ie – April 4th, 2016 Brand Europe Logo Design Love – April 1st, 2016 Will Roth’s Europe Project Links at: https://willroth.co/publications/

CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGES AND ICONS A few images in this book were created by others and made available for use under Creative Commons licences. Name credit and licence information is given alongside the image. Links to the licences are listed below.

CC BY-SA 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Some icons used on each city introduction page are created by Scott de Jonge and have been made available for use under CC 3.0 BY. CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/