Paard van Troje, or Trojan Horse, is a legendary music venue in The Hague. Since 1972 Paard has evolved from a ‘social joint’ with its own in-house weed dealer to a professional and versatile performance stage with a broad array of music programming. But in 2017, it was time for an update.
Based on research and interviews with both employees and regular visitors, we defined four values for the rebranding: happiness, pride, intimate and surprising. The happiness and euphoria of music. The pride of having hosted all the legendary bands that have played at Paard. The intimacy of the personal connection. And the surprise of being involved in something experimental and enriching. ‘Pride’ was the most crucial brand value in the development of the visual identity. We designed a style that radiates power and authority. We shortened the old name ‘Paard van Troje’ to ‘Paard’; how locals have always referred to it. We took a magazine-inspired approach: we literally put the artist in the context of Paard, not the other way around. This allows plenty of room for personal interpretation, but through powerful wording and consistent placement of the image and logo, Paard always stays recognisable.
Made in a team at Fabrique
