Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert
Réalisé par Martin Zambaz
© HEAD – Genève, Valérie Pierrehumbert

A HEAD student creates the visual identity for the Centenary of Geneva Airport 

April 2020

Professor: Anette Lenz
Assistant: Valérie Pierrehumbert
Student: Martin Zambaz

 

It is Martin Zambaz who won the internal competition of the Visual Communication Department for the realization of the visual identity of the Centenary of Geneva Airport.

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Geneva Airport has concocted a rich programme of about twenty events and has created a specific visual identity of which HEAD is proud. It was created by Martin Zambaz, 3rd year student of the Bachelor in Visual Communication, under the supervision of Anette Lenz, professor at the HEAD, and Valérie Pierrehumbert, assistant of the visual communication department.

A few questions to Martin Zambaz : 

What were your inspirations?

After visiting the airport, I was struck by the complexity of the place and the number of people working there. I was unaware of the diversity of the trades that meet there every day and work to ensure the smooth running of the structure. The flows generated by these people have greatly inspired my project. When I imagine the airport, I see a crowd in constant motion, a bit like an anthill. Graphically, I searched for a visual language that translates this activity. I took up the idea of the flow of people and I was inspired by the various signs and symbols of the airport, such as the arrows on the tarmac for example. 

How was your project built?

First of all, I created a series of pictograms evoking the airport's aesthetics by simplifying their shapes as much as possible. I wanted these pictograms to evoke the imagination of travel and for each person to find a link with their own travel experience. I then grouped them into three superimposed layers, each of different colours.

The first stratum, yellow, symbolizes the structure of the airport, the different trades that are active every day in the service of the smooth running of the airport. The shapes are large and create a background that symbolizes the stability of this structure.

The second stratum, blue, represents the experience of the traveller. I chose to integrate the platform users who bring these places to life on a daily basis. This layer allowed me to create more representative pictograms, linked to the world of travel, to make it easier for the public to grasp the context of this identity.

The last layer of red colour, made up of arrows and shapes spotted on the tarmac, represents the movement and dynamic spirit of the airport. This layer also serves as a link between the logo created for the centennial and the visual identity as a whole. Finally, the three superimposed strata illustrate the airport as a whole, a place where various life paths intersect and overlap.

What were your intentions with this visual identity?

The first intention was to create a cheerful and festive identity within a strong institutional framework. I wanted the project to stand out from the strict and regulated aesthetics of the airport and bring a new point of view, fresh and playful. The second intention was to create an open identity for everyone. The third was to represent the airport staff and link them to the project. In the end, I wanted to create an identity that was entirely modular and that could be declined and reinvented throughout the year. 

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