Chrzanów

Small made great

What the enterprise does
Governs a small town in southern Poland.

What designers did
Elevated a rural backwater into a confident small town, openly rivalling two major metropolises.

Verbal Identity

Naming
Brand Anthem
Tagline

Ja to Chrzanów

Supportive Copy

W niektórych miastach środowiskiem jest betonowa dżungla. Ja to Chrzanów

W niektórych miastach oddycha się smogiem. Ja to Chrzanów

W niektórych miastach spaceruje się po centrach handlowych. Ja to Chrzanów

W niektórych miastach przestrzeń jest pod zabudowę. Ja to Chrzanów

W niektórych miastach torebkę dobiera się do butów. Ja to Chrzanów

W niektórych miastach jest pełno plastików. Ja to Chrzanów

What's interesting

‘Chrzanów’ sounds similar to the Polish verb ‘chrzanić,’ which is a vulgar term for expressing frustration, for ignoring something, or for ruining something. Developed as the city's slogan, ‘Ja to Chrzanów’ literally means ‘I am Chrzanów,’ but also humorously implies ‘I am done with it.’

What's interesting

While buying and downloading a font usually requires just a few clicks, the typeface purchased by the Municipality, Euclid Flex, had to be ‘imported’ from Switzerland as a foreign commodity. Due to its specific nature, the entire process took five weeks.

What's interesting

The new branding for Chrzanów was hailed on social media as the boldest of any Polish city in history.

What's interesting

The residents' initial adverse reaction to the new branding changed upon seeing the tote bag design, as inquiries about its price and availability started pouring in. Currently, the residents hold the City's image in high esteem and appreciate its usefulness.

What's interesting

Chrzanów has become a benchmark for other cities in terms of branding, to the point of envy. There have been instances where elements of the City's visual architecture were simply copied.

What's interesting

A total of 1729 files were created for the project. Please consider how many hours of work that amounts to in total. There are 40 work hours in a week.

Designer’s insight

“Interestingly, the public tender didn't even include communication. Greg asked me to come up with something, so I happily thought about it on my way back from the office. I started with a bit of cringe, because 'Chrzanów' and ‘chrzanić' (to not give a toss) sound similar. I showed the draft copy to Natalia, we polished it up a bit, and the Mayor was over the moon. We won the tender, where the initial concept was born on a bus.”

— Mariusz Ruciński,
Brand Identity Architect + Verbal Designer

“What I liked was how well, how smoothly we worked with the Town Hall. The Mayor was totally open to the aesthetic, which is quite unusual for a town's identity, because usually people are conservative as they're afraid of criticism from residents. And the other thing was their emotional approach, in the sense of joy. Joy about the identity and the fact that they knew exactly why they needed it. For what and why.”

— Natalia Bilska,
Senior Graphic Designer

Some people say things you'd never believe

Summary

What is the company's profile

City of Chrzanów. A municipality located in southern Poland.

What is the extent of tasks

A        Brand Personality (Market Landscape Analysis, Current Brand Analysis, Industry Analysis, Corporate Culture Analysis, Company Analysis, Product/Service Analysis, The Big Idea, Brand Positioning, Brand Strategy, Brand Story, Brand Character).

B        Brand Language (Domain Naming, Slogans/Claims, Key Messaging, Descriptor, Tagline, Brand Tone & Voice, Brand, Brand Statement, Brand Storytelling, Brand Anthem, Brand Sales Writing).

C        Brand Appearance (Visual Needs Analysis, Brand's Visual Expression Concept, Information Architecture, Functional Design Systems, Brand Art Direction, Logomark, Logotype, Iconography, Brand Visual Architecture, Brand Color Palette, Brand Typography, Brand Graphics & Patterns, Imagery & Photography, Branding Guidelines, Grids, Brand Collateral, Stationary, Web & Digital Design, UX/UI Design).

What are the objectives

A        To halt the population decline caused by residents moving to larger cities.

B        To increase the accessibility of City institutions by establishing a cohesive Visual Information System.

How we achieved the objectives

A        Brand communication strategy basis:
a.        Residents of Chrzanów are relocating to Krakow and Katowice–the largest nearby metropolises–primarily for job opportunities and the urban comforts.
b.        Sending a direct message to those residents who have already made the decision to move would likely be ineffective and unprofitable; therefore, it should be discarded.
c.        Instead, the message should be directed towards the residents of Krakow and Katowice who are in search of a quieter life that Chrzanów offers.

B        A series of slogans, such as (trans.) ‘In some cities, you breathe in smog. I am Chrzanów’ (‘I am Chrzanów’ meaning ‘I am screwing this’) exposes the downsides of living in the metropolis and, with a humorous twist, presents Chrzanów as an alternative.

C        Visual character, in accordance with the verbal one, discards the formulaic provincialism and presents the small town as modern and appealing to 'city slickers'. It employs vivid colours and geometry, dynamically utilises backgrounds and photographs, and above all, instils confidence with strong typography.

D        Each of the thematic categories (e.g. education or culture) has its own unique colour scheme and icon. This system enables residents to easily and quickly identify messages and points of interest. The high visual usability enhances not only the quality of life in urban landscapes but also assists the elderly or residents with increased needs.

E        The brand manual, designed to aid 20+ departments of the City Hall, comprises over 100 pages describing in detail over 50 elements of the city's Visual Identity System, such as document architecture, door plaques, digital materials, street signs, the coat of arms.

Authors

Brand Identity Concept + Positioning
Mariusz Ruciński

Verbal Identity + Copywriting
Mariusz Ruciński

Visual Identity + Art Direction
Natalia Bilska

Design Assistance
Jarosław Dziubek, Adrian Spuz

Photography
Chrzanów County

Operational Management
Grzegorz Derlukiewicz

The following case study is published under a license from the copyright owners and reflects the authorship of our team in cooperation with another studio.

Results

A        Chrzanów has become a model to follow for other cities in terms of rebranding.

B        The Chrzanów City Council has received many inquiries from metropolises about the possibility of benchmarking, but there have been cases of plagiarism of brand elements.

C        As a result of the rebranding, Chrzanów's position has increased, attracting investors and improving its negotiating power.

2019/2020
STGU Project of the Year
Winner

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