New logo for new region Hauts-de-France

At the beginning of the year France implemented a major reform of its regional subdivisions that saw the number of regions reduced from 22 to thirteen. This was done by merging many of the smaller regions into larger entities. In northern France, the Picardy regions saw itself merged into the twice as populous Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The region was given the interim name Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, but has decided to change that to Hauts-de-France, meaning "Upper France" or "heights of France".

On July 8, the region unveiled its new logo, created through a contest. The region had engaged students from different schools and also received proposals from the public. These were put through several rounds of selections, after which the public got to vote on their favourite. The winning suggestion was created by an apparently anonymous student from ESAD Amiens and shows a map of France with a heart enclosing the new region.

Logo revealed for upcoming news channel France Info

The four French public broadcasters (France Télévisions, Radio France, INA and France 24) are coming together to launch a common news service on September 1. This will involve the merger of some websites and the launch of a new TV channel to create a truly cross-platform offering. Last week, the broadcasters announced that the service would be called "France Info". The logo was revealed at the same time, featuring a simple wordmark and two yellow dots.

The name "France Info" is shared with Radio France's radio news channel which will apparently continue as before, although I'm not clear on how the two services will be separated.

The audio identity will reportedly be created by none other than Jean-Michel Jarre.

From the 40s: Halag

Halag, or Hanf- und Leinenverkaufsgesellschaft A.G., was a company in Basel. The company name indicates they traded in hemp and linens, but other than that there doesn't appear to be much information available on it. The only impression the company has made appears to be it's rather nice trademark, designed by Hermann Eidenbenz and showing a thread running out from a spindle to spell the company name.

I don't know exactly when this trademark was designed and introduced, but it was published in Graphis magazine in 1949. It has subsequently been republished in other publications over the following decades.

Brand Union lays out plans for real estate brand Dospuntos

Dospuntos is the new name for a Spanish real estate promotion organisation, described as "the new generation of real estate developers". The brand launch last month and was developed by Brand Union in Madrid.

The Spanish real estate market has struggled on the heels of the euro crisis and the new identity is part of an effort to regain popular trust as the market recovers. The name comes from the Spanish word for the colon mark and features a whimsical logotype and a use of lines that resemble a floor plan.

Millford brands merged Dutch lottery

The two leading state-owned lottery operators in the Netherlands have recently concluded a merger process, initiated as the prepare to take on upcoming foreign competiton. As a result Nederlandse Staatsloterij and De Lotto have become Nederlandse Loterij. The new corporate identity launched last week and was created by Leiden-based agency Millford.

The new symbol is a true merger logo, combining the orange fish from the Staatsloterij logo and the arches from the De Lotto logo to create a happy, lively mark.

Vevo gets really simple

In the shadow of the MasterCard rebrand, music video service Vevo also revealed a new logo, introduced alongside a new mobile app. While similar to its predecessor, it is simpler, straighter and more geometric. It is also either black or white, and the overall look for the service uses mostly monochrome graphics and images.

From 1990: The striped MasterCard logo

There's not much point in rehashing the story behind the new Mastercard logo here. What is arguably the biggest rebrand of the year has already been covered extensively by Creative Review, Brand New and just about every media outlet that would cover something like this.

Instead, we can take a look at the logo it replaces: the striped double circle logo from 1990. It is a logo that is most notable for its total ubiquity, not for the actual design. While the names and work of Rand and Bass are known even to non-designers, few would know who designed the MasterCard logo a quarter century ago. As it happens, that redesign was done by a New York-based firm called Lister Butler.

Logo round-up: June 2016

Here's the logo round-up for June 2016. There were no earth-shattering news delivered, but we got a few interesting projects. These include the return of the British Steel name and a new look for the major telco in the Philippines.

Troika gives the Audience Network a refresh

Audience Network is a TV network from satellite operator DirecTV. It used to be exclusive to DirecTV, but following its purchase by AT&T, it is also available on the telco's other platforms. A few months ago, probably in March, Audience launched new look with a refreshed logo, designed by Hollywood-based Troika.

The Audience Network was first launched in 2011, with an identity designed by Trollbäck + Company. Troika's redesign features an updated logo and crisp premium elements with great variation in colour and typography. According to Troika, "the flexible identity reflects the brand’s unconventional attitude while easily adapting to its wide range of original, sports and music programming".

Sky Movies becomes Sky Cinema

Sky Movies is the leading movie channel package in the UK, owned by pay TV operator Sky. Since the launch in 1989 it has expanded from a single channel to a suite of twelve channels and different on-demand services. Last Friday, it renamed Sky Cinema, a name that is already used by its sister services in Italy and Germany. This was announced on June 15 and also means more movie premieres and high-definition as standard for costumers.

The relaunch necessitated a new ident, created by the in-house agency Sky Creative, with production done by The Mill. It starts out with a film projector and proceeds with cinematic particles that form the new logo.

Automobile brand Saab retired, replaced by NEVS

National Electric Vehicle Sweden, or NEVS, is a Swedish car company formed out of assets from the bankrupt Saab automobile which were purchased in 2012. Initially, NEVS were also going to use the Saab brand, but that changed last month when the company announced its cars would be sold under the name "NEVS". A simple futuristic logo was unveiled at the same time.

This means a retirement of sort for the old Saab brand, at least as an auto brand. It is still used by the defence contractor with the same name.

Magisto plays new identity by Moving Brands

Magisto is a mobile app that allows people to easily edit videos in their phones. It uses artificial intelligence to identify people and elements, as well as the most important parts of the video. Last month, it launched a new brand identity, developed by Moving Brands.

Moving Brands created a simple mark based on the most common video symbols, a circle for record and a triangle for play. Based on the mark, a set of icons that "exemplify jovially life’s common occurrences and occasions" was also developed.

South Korea reveals new national brand - Creative Korea

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism revealed a "new national brand" on Monday. In seeking to sum up what the country is about and its people are up to, the concept "Creative Korea" was concocted. In addition to the two words, the logo also features two lines, which are said to be taken from the trigrams on the South Korean flag.

I haven't been able to figure out whether this replaces the existing tourism logo or not, but it appears they are being used concurrently for different audiences.

Double cut Q and lowercase U for Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac University is a private university in Connecticut. Followers of American politics may be familiar with the university which runs a well regarded polling institute. Last month, the university launched an elegant new brand identity.

Students and alumni have naturally reacted with outrage, mostly because the name isn't capitalised properly. Besides that, the new typography is both sober and vibrant. The 'Q' initial comes in ribboned versions that can be used as stand alone symbols, with the "Double Cut Q" designated as the university's primary icon.

Bright brand for newly spun off energy company Innogy

German energy concern RWE is about to spin off its renewables, distribution and retail divisions into a separate company. On Wednesday last week (July 29), it was announced that the company would be called Innogy.

The name Innogy is a combination of "innovation, energy and technology". Its new brand identity is described as colourful, cheerful and positive. The company symbol is a lowercase 'I' where the tittle is connected through a flexible coloured cord.