Attendees arriving at Messe Frankfurt this week for the IMEX Frankfurt show will notice a brand refresh.
The new look went live on Monday 22 May.
A brand review process was conducted by IMEX’s design team led by design manager, Anna Gyseman, who was part of the team that launched Grazia magazine into the UK market.
IMEX said it felt its existing identity no longer reflected the company or its live show experiences. Extensive workshopping with staff revealed a strong loyalty to some aspects of the old brand, however, it was agreed those elements representing people (the classic dots) were a legacy to be built on, not thrown away.
Carina Bauer, IMEX Group, CEO explains: “The minute the design team presented the ‘winning’ concept to our staff, we knew they’d nailed it. In clean, contemporary pastel colours derived from our heritage brand, the design embodies the heart, purpose, and business value IMEX stands for. It captures our belief in the positive power of people from all over the world meeting eye to eye, face to face and shaking hands on a business deal or new friendship.
“As with all good designs we tried to ‘break it’ but it stood up to all our tests. It works brilliantly as part of our show experiences and on our websites, signage and more,” Bauer adds.
The team created a soft brown tone affectionately called ‘IMEX biscuit’ for use instead of classic white as a background colour. They say this non-stimulating, neurodiversity-friendly colour makes readability easier for a broader range of people.
First ever sonic logo
Given the importance of online expression for a global brand, IMEX also has a unique sonic logo for the first time. Developed with the help of Brighton, UK-based Buff Motion, the soundtrack cleverly builds anticipation of people coming together for a big event and knowingly embraces the fact that humans the world over celebrate community in the same way – with their hands and voices. See link here.
Carina Bauer sums up: “We’ve brought our brand to life in various ways throughout the show – the atrium at Messe Frankfurt is the focal point for many of our ‘hero’ pieces. Next week’s IMEX Frankfurt is a living showcase for the new look IMEX and we look forward to seeing how people react!”
Anna Gyseman and UX Designer, Oli Bailey will share insights into the design process and journey behind the new branding in: IMEX: Behind the curtain - Event design and measurement on Thursday 25 May at IMEX Frankfurt.
More photos and logos for the brand redesign can be found here.
IMEX Frankfurt takes place 23–25 May 2023. To register click here.
