Set in a former Citro\u00ebn building in the north-west of the capital, the highly-anticipated venue promises to be more than just a place to see art. Merging art, architecture, performance, food and public space, Kanal looks to \u201credefine the role of public cultural space in Europe and beyond\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis project involved creating a brand for a cultural organism rather than a conventional institution,\u201d says Dimitri Jeurissen, founding partner and ECD of Base Design. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs the only museum of modern and contemporary art and architecture in Brussels, Kanal is committed to engaging with the city and its people in a way that is open, plural, and in constant evolution,\u201d continues Yves Goldstein, general director at Kanal. \u201cOur aim is not simply to show what is being created, but to connect it with the people for whom it exists, and to engage with their perspectives and points of view.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Working with the passionate team at Kanal, Base Design devised a framework that lives up to the gallery\u2019s lofty ambitions. Aligning with its dynamic output, the brand system takes the form of a full visual identity and \u201cmotion ecosystem\u201d; a sound identity created in partnership with Kiosk Radio; a distinct and adaptable tone of voice; and a series of \u201cbehavioural principles that guide how Kanal acts, welcomes, engages and evolves\u201d.<\/p>\n
Motion in particular, was crucial in capturing the character of Kanal, with a suite of designs that reflect the overarching notion of the gallery as a \u201cliving organism\u201d. This also follows from the central strategic concept of \u201cflow and overflow\u201d, which the designers say \u201cconveys Kanal\u2019s non-linear fluctuating energies, its openness to change, diversity and imperfection, and its mission to constantly evolve, always responding to the rhythm of the site and the city around it\u201d.<\/p>\n
Along with a diverse palette of colours, a broad range of typography, and imagery that moves between abstract, figurative and architectural, these elements create a \u201cholistic\u201d brand world that highlights and elevates the many different facets of Kanal. <\/p>\n
With the gallery looking to open its doors at the end of this year, Base Design\u2019s design director Thomas Leon says getting to this point has required constant and extensive collaboration. <\/p>\n
\u201cA project of this scale only comes to life through deep co-creation,\u201d he notes. \u201cThe identity has been built together \u2013 with the Kanal team, with Brussels, with the building\u2019s industrial heritage and with the partners who help it resonate. Our priority has been to articulate Kanal\u2019s ambition as a generous, open public space for all residents of Brussels.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n