Chic and bohemian – Prague City Tourism renames the Czech capital and launches a new design
“The main goal of the visual concept was to appeal to a sophisticated clientele. However, our new philosophy is much more than just visual design. Our goal is to rediscover the soul of the Praguers’ free lifestyle, their creativity, their life stories and their pure bohemian heart, and present it to the world.
You said sophisticated, so I guess one of the main goals is to change the image of Prague. This intention has been communicated for several years by officials including the current mayor of Prague. Could you tell us a bit more about how you plan to achieve this? I guess it’s not just with the design but with other associated events?
“Yes. We have almost 70 projects through which we want to contribute to changing the image of Prague. These are related to the culture of public space, the sustainability and greening of the city, the resolution from shared accommodation issues, but also to the development of new premium products and services for a sophisticated clientele and the introduction of smart tourism. There is a lot going on right now and it’s not just related to tourism of Prague, but to the whole city with the associated organisations, so it’s a very complex project.
If I’m a potential foreign tourist listening to this, how should I think of Prague now? What is its new image?
“Basically, we imagined three pillars which aim to constitute the essence of the city’s image. The first is that Prague is “chic”. We have a very beautiful city here with lots of heritage sites, but our people are also among the best when it comes to arts, crafts and culture. This sophistication is really ingrained in the city.
“We are also ‘bohemians’. In other words, we have chosen to work with the word bohemian, which does not only mean artistic or unconventional, but is also the millennial regional name of the Prague metropolitan area and we really want to reintroduce this term to the world. .
“The third pillar revolves around the term ‘merger’. Prague is, and always has been, an exceptional blend of diverse influences. We enjoyed such a great variety of cultures, like Czech, German and Jewish. If you go back even further in history, you can also add Italian and French for example. We love the different subcultures and they are truly free to live and create in this city.
“Basically, these are the three pillars that make up the new image of Prague.
If we go back to the new design concept itself, I understand that you included several artists in the project and even developed your own special alphabet. What sorts of images outside of the traditional Prague sights are profiled?
“There is a specific artist behind the different ways in which Prague is presented, whether it is the design of souvenirs, illustrations, photographs or videos. This design carries the soul of the city, because, as it is always said, even the most beautiful place will not leave a deeper imprint on the visitor if it has no soul. That’s why we always focus on the designer behind the work. »
Where will people be able to see your new creations, besides souvenirs?
“The new visual identity will be gradually introduced in our visual marketing tools, such as the Prague.eu website, our social networks and in our marketing campaigns. We have also started renaming the heritage monuments under our management. Everything should be visible before Christmas arrives.
Prague City Tourism is a marketing organization formed by the City of Prague that seeks to foster and develop tourism in the national and international capital.
