In a new episode of the Brandification of Everything series, Brittany, the north-western region of France known locally as “Bretagne”, has unveiled a new visual identity as the backbone of its recent branding efforts.
Commissioned by Agence économique de Bretagne and designed by Communiquez, the new identity comes with a dedicated website —something you don’t come across quite often— detailing its objectives, main components and guidelines.
According to the official press release, the brand aims to give the region a consistent, international and modern image that would ultimately attract new tourists and investors from all around the world.
The new identity is borrowing heavily from the black and white, striped flag of Brittany, the Gwenn-ha-du, making the logotype instantly identifiable by its local audience. The font used is TheMix Bold, a hybrid sans-serif designed by LucasFonts. The three stripes depicting the E are nothing ground-breaking*, but it sticks well with the region’s historical identity. Unfortunately, the BE abbreviation is inappropriate and would very unlikely be associated with Brittany.
While the logotype has been receiving a rather good feedback internationally, it has been deemed uninspiring by its local audience, voicing that it lacks originality and expressiveness. These concerns are not ungrounded; the logo leans slightly towards monotony and boredom, making it unsuitable for promoting tourism in a region well-known for its great outdoors and local delicacies.
On a positive note, the logo speaks efficiently to professionals and potential investors, transmitting clearly Brittany’s will to modernize and innovate without leaving its past behind.