Planning with practicality and vision: rebranding a company for municipal services. Developing its new brand identity, we helped the municipal utilities of Merano to come closer to its citizens.
During the year 2022, the municipal utilities of Merano (ASM) felt the need to reposition
themselves in the perception of the citizens. The company wanted to explain its services and competences in order to stimulate the participation of the citizens of Merano in the initiatives to safeguard the city’s environment. This is why we were given the task to develop a new brand identity able to represent ASM’s vision of a sustainable future for the city of Merano.
themselves in the perception of the citizens. The company wanted to explain its services and competences in order to stimulate the participation of the citizens of Merano in the initiatives to safeguard the city’s environment. This is why we were given the task to develop a new brand identity able to represent ASM’s vision of a sustainable future for the city of Merano.
Find out how we put it into practice.
During the analysis we did to acquire useful insights to complete this task, we found out that a certain percentage of Merano’s inhabitants did not know about the services offered by ASM or thought them to be separate companies. This led to the development of a new brand identity following a branded house logic, a type of brand architecture where a number of sub-brands are placed under a main brand, following strict parameters regarding style and visual aspects.
An example to follow.
The information we got during the panning phase of ASM’s new brand identity made it possible to create a visual identity which, even though it is modern, can adapt to different styles and guarantee an efficient use over time. The visual language which was developed on this basis can be of example for the whole public sector. Often organizations like these, for structural reasons, use an obsolete and distant language when communicating with the citizens and therefore create a perception of distance from people’s everyday lives. The work we did with ASM shows how, with a well-developed brand identity, the communication between institutions and citizens can be improved.
The most efficient solution is the one that can be put in practice.
Another aspect we considered when planning ASM’s visual identity were the many touchpoints in which the ASM logo can be found. From vehicles to bills, from dumpsters to streetlamps, the logo of the brand can be found everywhere in the city of Merano. As it would have been impossible to replace all current logos on such short notice, the new one was designed using similar forms and colours. This choice made it possible for us to avoid obvious compatibility problems during the time in which both logos will coexist.
