European Volunteering Capital 2022 Branding

THE CLIENT: In 2022 Gdańsk was awarded the title of European Capital of Volunteering in 2022. At the request of City Hall, I collaborated with a friend (she designed collage campaign, while I took care of the branding) to create the visual side of a project celebrating good will of local people and advertising more volunteering opportunities. 

BRAND VALUES: EV Capital is a contest that promotes volunteering and appreciates charitable hearts of people who help those in need. This particular campaign is divided into two areas. The first one focuses on individuals and illustrates how even just one person can make a change. The second part aims to encourage local communities to work together to make the world a little better. The project wants to showcase the problems in our society and brings attention to those in need and then present various solutions.

LOGO: Brandmark consists of the letters E (Europejska), S (Stolica) and W (Wolontariatu) (European Volunteering Capital) stacked on top of each other, creating a shape that mirrors a form similar to the buildings in the old town of Gdańsk. One of the "windows" is shaped like a heart, representing the good will of the volunteers. Font used in the logo - a simple sans-serif, yet rounded on the edges - gives the text friendly air, which helps reaching a wider audience. Maintaining the official tone of a governmental organisation is achieved by using uppercase lettering.

BRAND COLORS: Soft shades of mint and purple coupled with a complementary graphite color create a harmonious blend of warmth and tranquility. Pastels are calming and are associated with spring - a season of hope and rebirth - qualities describing charity the best. Purple here is a symbol of creativity in finding ways to help and green represents a sense of safety that the actions of volunteers will provide.

BRAND ELEMENTS: For more consistent branding, I've created icons representing individual branches of volunteering. Each icon lives in a shape of a building. Together they also create a brand pattern used in many advertising elements