Attendees arriving at Messe Frankfurt this week for the IMEX Frankfurt show will notice a brand refresh.
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”.
Carina Bauer, CEO, IMEX, explained: “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.”
Instead of classic white as a background colour, the team chose a soft brown tone called ‘IMEX biscuit’. They said this “non-stimulating and neurodiversity-friendly” colour makes readability easier for a broader range of people.
Sonic logo
IMEX has also introduced a sonic logo for the first time. Developed with Buff Motion, the soundtrack aims to build anticipation of people coming together for a large scale event.
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 25 May at IMEX Frankfurt.
