Design Concept: The Cluj-Napoca Botanical Garden
Cluj-Napoca’s Botanical Garden is a staple of the city, bringing in around 200 thousand visitors every year. You almost couldn’t believe that one of the most beloved institutions in Cluj has no branding to speak of — a travesty, is what I’d call it.
Objective
My objective in designing this logo is to create a mark that captures the garden’s essence and helps it be recognizable to locals and tourists alike. I wanted to make something that could seamlessly be expanded into a complete brand identity, used for merchandise and souvenirs that visitors can buy to support their favorite attraction/research institute, but also shed some light on the garden’s founder and namesake.
Alexandru Borza, as I’ve recently found out, was a highly intellectual and passionate researcher and conservation enthusiast. He is not only credited with founding the Cluj-Napoca Botanical Garden, museum and research institute, but also with establishing the first national park in the country, parcul Retezat, the science of geobotany in the country, the national organization of Scouts, many books, studies and was even esteemed by the communists. A religious man who later turned towards science, posthumously awarded a membership into the Romanian Academy, and a forgotten legend who should have more merit in 2024. (1, 2).
Design Vision
I designed the logo on a grid of parallel lines, squares and circles, with a clean, modern vision in mind. The challenge in using grids to design a logo is that you are somewhat limited in terms of shapes and proportions, but the final result is almost certainly going to look symmetrical and balanced, which was very important for building a contemporary brand image.
Building a Logo
The garden’s previous logo is somewhat of a mystery (see above) and is clearly lacking the elements I was looking to build upon. So I took a visit to gather inspiration, which led me to choose the four components that make up the logomark.
- Beech tree leaves — inspired by the flora and vegetation of Romania;
- Water lily — an integral part of the garden, found in the Aquarium greenhouse, and featured in the previous logos I was able to find;
- 3 stems of wheat — inspired by the garden’s economic sector;
- Tulips — beautifully representing the ornamental sector.
Finding a Font
To compliment the clean symmetrical rounded look of the mark, I chose the typeface ITC Avant Garde Gothic, a gorgeous sans-serif published by the ITC in 1974. Avant Garde is also designed with perfect circles and parallel lines that make up the shape of the letters, making it ideal for my project.
Choosing the Colors
Another important part of the design concept was the color palette, which aims to consolidate the visual representation of the institute’s mission: research, education and conservation.
Applications and Perspective for the Future
Circling back to the potential benefits of doing a rebranding project for a public institution, here are some notable ones.
- Competition: keeping up with other parks and recreation activities in the region is not an insignificant challenge. One could make the argument that Grădina Botanică Al. Borza is a qualified contender on track to become one of the best in Europe. As such, differentiating this institution with powerful branding could help it stand out.
- Relevance and perception: aligning the garden’s values and mission with the visual identity could change the public’s perception, build trust and credibility in the community.
- Revenue: a successful rebranding could put the garden on track to gaining more financial support from local administrations and patrons as it gains more visibility and support from the public. The expanded brand identity could be applied to numerous kinds of merchandise like tote bags, hoodies, hats, postcards, magnets, and so on, that visitors can buy to support their favorite garden.
- New talent: rebranding could boost morale, energy and enthusiasm for the internal team, as well as potentially attract new talented professionals to join the institute’s research efforts.
That being said, it is crucial to recognize that rebranding is not just about changing the logo and colors, it is about aligning with the organization’s mission, vision and values, and doing so in the context of current and future communication and design trends. Ultimately, a good rebranding can propel the institution forward and consolidate its position as a pillar of the community.
Disclaimer: this is a conceptual project and not made in collaboration with Alexandru Borza Botanical Garden.
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