In short
For the municipality of Scherpenzeel, I was asked to modernize their visual identity without replacing the existing logo. The goal was a subtle refresh: simplifying the style, improving consistency across digital and print media, and making the brand more future-proof while respecting its historical roots.
The problem
Scherpenzeel’s current branding felt outdated and lacked visual coherence across different channels. The logo was highly detailed, gradients made it difficult to reproduce consistently, and there was no formal documentation for how to apply the visual identity. The challenge was to modernize the brand without losing recognizability or symbolic meaning, especially in the logo, which contains heraldic elements like lilies and a crown.
My role
I independently conducted a full brand analysis and led the redesign process. This included comparing Scherpenzeel’s style to that of other Dutch municipalities, identifying design weaknesses, and proposing visual improvements. I redesigned the logo, established a refined color palette, defined typography guidelines, and created new templates for digital and printed materials. I also presented the final proposal directly to the municipality, along with a professional branding guide.
Design process
After a detailed logo and visual style audit, I drafted improvement recommendations such as simplifying the crown and flower shapes, removing gradients, vertically aligning the text, and selecting a modern, readable font.
Next, I created mockups of different branding components, letterheads, envelopes, digital documents, and documented everything in a comprehensive visual brand guide. I also developed clear do’s & don’ts for logo usage, whitespace rules, and color consistency. Feedback from design colleagues and the client was incorporated through iterations.
Solution
The new design preserves the integrity and history of the original logo while dramatically improving its usability across platforms. Colors were defined with exact RGB, CMYK, and Pantone values for print and digital. Typography was updated for clarity and accessibility. The final style guide enables consistent branding across all municipal communications.
The municipality responded positively to the design, and the refreshed identity is now being applied in both internal and external materials. Through this project, I demonstrated how thoughtful design can honor tradition while still embracing modern UX principles like clarity, consistency, and accessibility.
