Opinion BY Rietje Gieskes

NNewly Redesigned

Nationale Nederlanden, one of the Netherlands’ largest insurance and asset management companies, recently replaced its logo, in use since 1970, with a modified version. The new logo signals a strategic repositioning as a friendlier company, more customer-centric and transparent in its policies than before.

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Opinion BY Armin

Colorful Insurance

Established in 1956 FBTO is one of the largest insurance companies in the Netherlands with more than half a million policy holders. A popular benefit of FBTO is the ability to go straight online and define your insurance policy on the spot — a process that accounts for 60% of FBTO’s business — meaning there is no third party contracting or haggling with insurance salespeople. This month FBTO introduced a new identity designed by Amsterdam-based VBAT and a new online and offline campaign created by agencies Qi and ONLY.

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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 Rietje Gieskes

Hammer Time, is Over

If you live in the Netherlands and are in need of a new set of tools or paint supplies, you may find yourself heading to a newly rebranded Praxis. The popular hardware store chain consists of 136 stores, including some smaller franchises and 26 megastores. The new design has quietly appeared with little explanation or fanfare.

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Opinion BY Armin

TNT Post Carries On by Itself

With roots as far back as 1752, chronologically, and Australia, geographically, TNT Post is the official mail carrier in The Netherlands, owned by TNT Group, who also operate TNT Express. Employing 77,000 people, TNT Post processes “8.8 billion addressed postal items (including 100 million parcels) each day and delivers to more than 88 million addresses in the Benelux, Germany, the UK and Italy.” Last week, TNT Group announced that TNT Post will begin to work as an independent company, starting on May 31, 2011 and will be renamed PostNL. The identity will be implemented first in The Netherlands, and later in the other countries it operates in.

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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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Guest Opinion by Mark Holtmann Posted BY Brand New

Two Triangles are Better than One

The Dutch public broadcasting organization VPRO (an acronym that translates into “Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcasting Company”) started its life in 1926 as a religious radio broadcaster. Over the years it became more liberal and less religious until, in the sixties, it planted itself firmly in the avant-garde by being the first television broadcaster showing a nude woman on national television. Since then the VPRO never left its nonconformist role, with slight stubbornness purposefully choosing those programs, topics and formats that the other broadcasting companies passed over. Although not well known outside of the Netherlands, the VPRO is the real deal. It continuously airs intelligent, cultural and quirky programs, the stuff that makes TV interesting.

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