Logo of the Czech EU Presidency unveiled

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Prague, 12 November 2008 – Today the logo was made public and so was the visual identity of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. The visual style of the Czech EU Presidency was presented by Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra, who is responsible for preparing the EU Presidency, at a joint press conference. 

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The story of the logo’s birth goes back to July 2007, when a public competition was announced. In the competition anyone could participate: besides general public and renowned graphic studios it was an opportunity also for young graphic designers. At the close of the competition at the end of 2007, the Evaluation Panel together with Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek decided on the winning logo. However, following the EU traditions, the logo could be made public only now. “To publish the logo earlier would have gone against the rules of the game in the European Union. It would have been unfair towards the Slovenes, who held the EU Presidency until June 2008, and France, which holds the EU Presidency now,” said Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra.

The creator of the logo of the Czech EU Presidency is the 34-year-old graphic designer Tomáš Pakosta from the town of Litomyšl. He says about his work on the project of the Czech EU Presidency: “As a supporter of the EU, I am happy to have had the opportunity to do my bit in an integration project that, at least from our perspective today, appears unfeasible.” The logo primarily highlights the motto of the Czech EU Presidency “Europe without Barriers” and, at the same time, the motto of the European Union “United in Diversity”. Both pivotal ideas are represented by the multicoloured logo (diversity), in which unity is brought by the logic of chosen colours, typeface and its clearly defined structure. The logo uses a distinctive basic typeface called Politic, which is easy to remember, and a complementary typeface called Vida. Both typefaces were invented by the prominent Czech type designer František Štorm.

The choice of colours derives from the colours of the flags of the EU member states and the EU flag. The colours are dark blue, red, yellow, light blue, green, orange, dark red and black. “It is an interplay of colours and country codes laid out on the EU map and then mixed up in a mosaic as en expression of equality,” Pakosta explains. The strength of the winning logo is that it offers a wide range of possibilities to play with its basic structure. It can be used in different applications, but at the same time it guarantees a uniform and unmistakable appearance. The winning logo can be developed into a number of inventive forms – impressive grids and mosaics or groups of particular forms, emphasising the Czech Republic and the European Union.

The use of the visual style is subject to rules laid down in a manual. In that way, a uniform design of the visual presentation of the Czech EU Presidency, including promotional items, print material, the website www.eu2009.cz (accessible in a limited version for the purpose of accreditation from 1 December 2008 and in the full version on 1 January 2009), interior and exterior decorations of conference rooms. It will become the unifying element of the presentation of the activities undertaken during the Czech EU Presidency.

„The visual style of the Czech EU Presidency shows that Czechs are no spoilsports, that they do not shy away from bold action, and that they have a style of their own. I think that all this will help us brighten up long meetings during our Presidency,” says Alexandr Vondra about the logo.

The uniform visual style is also a result of cooperation with other experts, particularly Professor Rostislav Vaněk, Aleš Najbrt and Alan Záruba. The work on the visual style has been carried out for several months with the intention for the style to represent the Czech Republic with dignity – both in Europe and throughout the world.

The logo and other documents can be downloaded from the attachment.