açores

Located in the middle of the Atlantic, Azores is composed of nine islands, each one with unique characteristics that makes the archipelago absolutely distinct. Through its geographic position, the Azores gained recognizable differentiation in its nature, gastronomy, agriculture, economy, tourist offer, fishery, among others.Origin — In the Azores we can find several inscriptions and graphic elements made by fishermen and sailors along the course of history, this visual lexicon was used to iconically translate a symbol from each island to create the Azores and its islands’ logo.Purpose — The proposal intended to create a brand not only able to represent the Azores archipelago but also the nine individual islands and all the attributes that define the Azores. The logo works as a shifting form, highlighting an icon when referring to a specific island.Colors — Raul Brandão, a famous Portuguese writer, embarked on a trip to the islands in the summer of 1924. That trip resulted in the publication of “The unknown Islands”, one of the works that most influenced the formation of the internal and external image of Azores. For each island Raul Brandão gave a distinct color, this chromatic scheme was used for the identity program.Icons — Due to the enormous offer of the archipelago, attach to the logo it was developed an always growing set of icons.Identity expansion/Invest in the Azores — It was also conceived the possibility of creating new identities integrated into the Azores' brand system.Azores' raw materials — Package in Cryptomeria. Materials naturally found in the Azores were used through the identity system as a mechanism to strengthen the brand.Signage — In Azores, everything seems integrated with nature. For the signage proposal we used basalt (a volcanic rock commonly found in the Azores) designed and constructed to resemble a ruin, a piece that doesn’t conflict with the surrounding space and integrates it.Exporting the Azores — The representation of the Azores outside the archipelago is made by a popup store resembling a wooden container built in cryptomeria.Azores Products — For the new identity we also conceived a certificate program for products with Azores origin. A colored strip that identifies the origin of the product by island or by the entire archipelago. The label maintains the rules of the logo identity in terms of logo composition and colors.

“All of this, all this blue, all this freshness, enters through my eyes and through my soul. The blue ink not only undulates — trembles trough tiny grains of an extraordinary action, and the ever-new world that surrounds penetrates me with its breath and tells me its life.”
As ilhas desconhecidas / The unknown islands, Raul Brandão

client
SDEA - Sociedade para o Desenvolvimento Empresarial dos Açores, EPER

year
2014

credits 
Emídio Cardeira
Miguel Palmeiro
Pedro Sousa



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