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Rising above ground level
This is actually the translation of a Dutch saying: ‘boven het maaiveld uitsteken’ and is has a specific meaning. It is in essence positive a positive connotation. Meaning that somebody or something reaches further ahead than commonly expected. Interesting is how society deals with people who stick their neck out. In Eindhoven we appreciate proactive actions and performance. Even better, we cherish them, because we believe in the power and class of the individual, especially if this contributes to society as a whole.
A great example is the journey of Amit Biswas, originally from Bangladesh. He moved to the Netherlands for pursuing a Masters’ study in Maastricht and is now happily living in the vibrant & inspiring city of Eindhoven. Amit has a passion for to marketing, branding, and design. So when he noticed the branding of Eindhoven city, the vibes logo, he posted an article on his Linkedin on what he had seen, he was intrigued by the design. So he shared his curiosity online and wanted to know more about the visual identity. I noticed his request in my Linkedin timeline and contacted him to invite him over at our office of Eindhoven365 in city center. He came smartly dressed and explained that he was struck by my open invitation. I explained to him that this is typically Eindhoven mentality. I as being end responsible for the brand of Eindhoven, was of course positively surprised about him noticing the vibes in public space. And he expressed his interest openly, he reached out so I naturally responded.
We had a great meetup; I presented the creative process and thinking behind the vibes. That is a visualization of tangible energy in the city of Eindhoven and also a ‘knipoog’ meaning a hint to old Philips identity showing electric energy flows. We chatted about the open source nature of the logo – anyone can use it freely – and that it was created by a team of designers; not a single individual. Also reflecting Eindhoven mentality of good and cooperation. What followed is almost a ‘jongensboek’ story, meaning a positive success story: Amit got inspired to write a book about cities identities of The Netherlands and reached out to an Eindhoven publisher and Logo Land was created last year. Now a success and his book has international exposure and sales. It is even Is on the bookshelf of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at the Royal House of the Netherlands! Check out his journey on amitbiswas.nl.
By Peter Kentie, managing director EHV365
