Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), based in Manila, Philippines, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through loans, grants, economic research, policy dialogue, technical assistance and equity investments.
ADB holds Annual Meetings for Governors of member-countries to provide guidance on ADB administrative, financial, and operational directions. The events provide opportunities for member Governments to interact with ADB staff, nongovernment organisations (NGOs), media, and representatives of observer countries, international organisations, academe and the private sector.
The location of the Annual Meeting changes city every year, and the host city would create its own emblem to use alongside the ADB type. But ADB wasn’t convinced that asking each host city to design an emblem was the best way to move forward, so I was hired to develop a specific Annual Meeting identifier — a symbol to either sit alongside the host city emblem or to replace it entirely.
Here are some of the previously submitted host city emblems and type lockups.
Some emblems were too detailed, sometimes submitted to ADB at the very last minute, adding undue pressure to the preparation of marketing materials.
When it came to the job I was hired to do, I looked at what was already in place for ADB and followed my usual process of mindmapping relevant thoughts.
The main ADB logo (below left) holds many years of brand equity. It made sense to draw upon this equity, so I used the organisation’s logo as the structure for the new Annual Meeting symbol (below right).
The short animation (embedded below) shows my idea that the Annual Meeting acts as a unifying event emanating from within ADB, yet ultimately surrounds every aspect of the organisation.
With this new direction, instead of ADB needing host cities to design and submit their own emblems, ADB can select a variety of photos showcasing the host country/city, then offer the host a choice of which photos will be used. Alternatively, hosts could provide ADB with a selection of their most impacting photographs. These images will then form a backdrop to the symbol, with the symbol framing a particular section of the photo, acting as a window into Asia.
This unifying symbol saves the expense of a new emblem every year, puts the event organisation back in the hands of ADB, creates a more cohesive visual identity for the Annual Meeting, yet keeps the event touchpoints unique to each destination.
Delhi, India (host city 2013)
Delhi, India (host city 2013)
Delhi, India (host city 2013)
Manila, Philippines (host city 2012)
Manila, Philippines (host city 2012)
Hanoi, Vietnam (host city 2011)
Hanoi, Vietnam (host city 2011)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (host city 2010)
Bali, Indonesia (host city 2009)
Credit to Premium Animations for the symbol animation. Photos from Thinkstock and ADB.
Other brand identity projects:
Feru, a Moscow-based fashion boutique
Digital Luxury Group, a Geneva-based online marketing agency
Tunelinks, a startup music streaming website
Berthier, a Tokyo-based interior design company
Profinity, a Pittsburgh-based asset management firm
Vissumo, a provider of next generation touchscreen technologies
TalkTo, a Massachusetts-based “text any business” startup
All featured projects here: design portfolio.
