Opinion BY Armin

X Marks the Port

Used as far back as the thirteenth century, the Port of Amsterdam is ranked as the number 4 port in Europe, handling almost 93 million metric tons of cargo annually, employing directly (and indirectly through port-related companies) 55,000 people. The Port’s main goal, besides moving stuff, is “stimulating economic activity and employment in the entire Amsterdam port region.” Previously owned and managed by the local government, this April the port was established as an independent, corporate entity with the City of Amsterdam as the main shareholder and a new logo was introduced, designed by Groningen, the Netherlands-based Hole in the Dyke.

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Opinion BY Armin

Open Sesame

Established in 1938 in the middle of National Park De Hoge Veluwe, a little over an hour outside of Amsterdam, the Kröller-Müller Museum is home to the second largest collection of Van Gogh paintings in the world as well as boasting the biggest sculpture garden in Europe. Looking to attract more visitors and raise its profile the museum has introduced a new identity designed by the Amsterdam office of Edenspiekermann.

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Opinion BY Armin

Heineken-ish

Heineken International is the corporate company that produces, obviously, Heineken beer but that is only one of 250 beer brands that it brews, sells, and/or distributes across 70 countries, among them popular beers like Amstel and Foster’s. In 2010 Heineken bought the brewery division of Mexico’s giant FEMSA, becoming the owner of Dos Equis, Bohemia (one of my faves), and Sol. Last week, Heineken International — NOT Heineken consumer beer — introduced a new logo and determined that its name shall be written in all caps, HEINEKEN, “to distinguish the corporate name from the company’s iconic beer brand,” and because “It is also the way the company name was originally written when HEINEKEN was founded in 1864”. The logo has been designed by Amsterdam-based VBAT.

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Opinion BY Armin

Van Gogh’s Brush Strokes

Established in 1973 in Amsterdam, the Van Gogh Museum holds over 200 paintings as well as drawings and letters of Vincent van Gogh. More than 1.5 million people visit every year, making it the most visited museum in the Netherlands and, according to research by The Art Newspaper, it is the 23rd most visited museum in the world. Earlier this month the museum introduced a new identity designed by Amsterdam-based Koeweiden Postma.

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Opinion BY Armin

There is no “i” in Thnk. Seriously, there isn’t.

Launched this year, with the first class beginning in 2012, the THNK Creative Leadership Program at THNK, The Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership is a post-graduate program designed to “provoke and inspire professionals, entrepreneurs and scientists into becoming the world’s next creative leaders.” Limited to 30 participants the program runs for a whole year with one month of “basic training” off campus, four months of “intensive training” on campus, and five months of “acceleration program” off campus. Tuition is €43,000 (US$63,000). An identity for the school has been created by Amsterdam-based Lava.

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Opinion BY Armin

Zoo in Disguise

Founded in 1838, Natura Artis Magistra (Latin for “Nature is the Teacher of Art”) located in Amsterdam is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands. Home to 900 species it also has a botanical garden, a planetarium, an art collection, a geological museum, and a zoological museum. Currently undergoing a major renovation, Artis has introduced a new identity designed by Amsterdam-based Van Lennep.

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