City of Nitra

Creating a complex visual identity for a juggernaut of a client – the oldest and probably proudest city in Slovakia – was a high-wire act, balancing tradition and seriousness that it deserved with modern, somewhat playful approach.

Nitra, as the oldest Slovak city, has the advantage of a long tradition of visual design compared to other, younger cities. The city’s coat of arms, an armoured arm bent at the elbow, has been associated with the city since the 15th century. Its long tradition, symbolism and immutability have made it a significant element with which the inhabitants have lived for generations. It plays an important role in the locals’ identity as they have formed an emotional relationship with it, proud of their visual representation.

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The coat of arms, an armoured arm bent at the elbow, was chosen as the main element of the new visual identity. Through the process of visual abstraction, the armoured arm was recreated as the city’s logo. The main aim was to create a connection between the coat of arms and the logo of the city of Nitra, not to create a duplicate logo and inconsistent or chaotic visual communication.

Another element of the identity is the bespoke typeface Hlaholica Neue, inspired by the first Slavic Glagolitic script, based on the original shapes and strokes of the Glagolitic alphabet, which is historically strongly linked to Nitra.