We’ve refreshed the visual identity of IAM and Culture.pl!

We present the refreshed visual identity of IAM and the new look of Culture.pl. The new system draws on more than 25 years of the Institute’s experience in building the presence of Polish culture around the world, while responding to contemporary standards of international communication carried out across multiple countries, channels and formats. The project was developed by the award-winning Podpunkt Graphic Studio.

The new IAM identity responds to the changing way in which cultural communication – and, consequently, the Institute itself – operates today. Video, animation, social media and digital formats are playing an increasingly important role, while materials are created simultaneously for different channels, markets and partners. What was needed, therefore, was a system that works not only in print and static materials, but also in motion, on screen and across multiple languages.

The aim of the project was to create a coherent set of principles and tools that enable IAM to communicate in a recognisable way regardless of the format or author of the material – for both the Institute’s team and the artists, creators and partners it works with. At the same time, the identity was designed to remain flexible: to organise IAM’s communication without imposing a single aesthetic on very different projects and on the artists presented by the Institute. Another important goal was to clarify the relationship between IAM and Culture.pl – so that both brands retain their individual character and respond to the needs of different audiences, while clearly forming part of a single system.

The project was developed through a workshop-based process involving the IAM team and the Culture.pl editorial team. The starting point was the institution’s everyday needs: communicating projects and events, working with partners, presentations, publications, press materials, social media and video production.

One of the key principles of the project was to preserve the recognisable IAM mark. Its form has been subtly refined and adapted, among other things, for use at different scales and in digital formats. Red has also been retained as one of the brand’s primary colours, in a new shade.

The biggest change took place around the mark itself. A comprehensive system was created, encompassing typography, colour, composition, digital and printed materials, as well as principles governing the brand in motion. It is designed to enable consistent IAM communication regardless of the field, country, format or project partner.

One of the fundamental elements of the new visual language is the slash present in the IAM mark. In the new system, it extends beyond the logotype: it crops images, structures compositions, creates transitions and serves as an important element of the identity in motion.

Motion design was one of the key areas of the project from the very beginning. The IAM mark no longer needs to appear solely as a static logo – it can open and close video materials, create transitions and provide a recognisable visual framework for videos, reels and other digital formats.

The system has been designed to accompany very different projects – from exhibitions and performances to music, film, literature and interdisciplinary projects – without imposing a single aesthetic on them.

Based on the system developed for IAM, a new version of Culture.pl was also created – the media platform devoted to Polish culture and run by the Institute, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

IAM and Culture.pl play different roles and communicate with different audiences. IAM builds partnerships, initiates and supports international projects, and works with artists and institutions. Culture.pl speaks directly to a broad audience in Poland and around the world, telling stories about Polish culture through articles, video content, podcasts and social media.

That is why both brands have their own language and personality, while remaining visually connected.

For IAM, the starting point was the slash – an element that had already been part of the mark and has now become the foundation of the entire visual language. It is strongly associated with the digital language: in a web address, it leads further, to subsequent content. For us, it has become a symbol of movement, transition and opening up new paths. When creating the Culture.pl identity, we wanted to preserve this shared DNA while giving the brand its own personality. That is why, alongside the slash, there is a distinctive dot, which can function like a frame or window opening access to further cultural content. Both brands belong to the same world, but each speaks in its own voice.

The Culture.pl identity was designed with the various formats in which the editorial team operates today in mind – from the website to YouTube, podcasts and social media.

Typography is also an important element of both systems. The ZED typeface, developed by the international team of designers at Typotheque under the creative direction of Peter Biľak, was selected with readability, accessibility and communication across multiple languages and writing systems in mind. It is intended to build brand recognition while also working effectively at a wide range of scales and in diverse applications – from websites and social media to publications and printed materials.

The project was developed by Podpunkt, a repeatedly award-winning Warsaw-based graphic design studio specialising in brand strategy, visual identity and communication design. Podpunkt’s work has received recognition in, among others, the European Design Awards and Creative Review Annual, and has also been featured in the Taschen book The Elements of Brand Design.

For the visual identity of the National Museum in Krakow, the studio received top prizes in prestigious competitions on two sides of the globe – first prize in the American The PRINT Awards, organised by PRINT Magazine, the world’s oldest magazine dedicated to graphic design, as well as the Best Design Award trophy at the Golden Pin Design Award in Taipei.

For the IAM and Culture.pl project, Emilka Bojańczyk, Creative Director at Podpunkt, was responsible for the creative direction and identity concept, while Magda Dobruk, the studio’s co-founder and co-lead, was responsible for the strategic and workshop process. The identity was developed by the design team: Emilka Bojańczyk, Agnieszka Drozd, Diana Makulska, Ewa Najnigier-Galińska, Oliwia Pietrzyk and Basia Synak, a designer specialising in motion design, who was responsible for developing the identity in motion.

The identity was developed in collaboration between the studio, the team at the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and the Culture.pl editorial team. The shared goal was to create a system that, on the one hand, builds recognition for both brands and, on the other, serves as a simple and flexible tool for everyday work.