Claire Parker judges corporate design Landmarkt

Claire Parker, Creative Director at our Amsterdam office, is now part of the ‘corporate design panel’ of Marketing Tribune magazine, so every month she will judge a corporate design, together with Alef de Jong from Koeweiden Postma and Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar.

This month the design panel had to judge the design of Landmarkt. LandMarkt is a chain of contemporary marketplaces specialized in tasty, natural and fresh products coming from your own region. Farmers directly sell their own products to the consumer enabled by the Landmarkt organisation. You can buy, taste and experience food in many ways. We’ve translated the critique for you here:

After an international career in FMCG, Farmersboy and Marketer of the year 2012, Harm-Jan van Dijk, wanted to get back to his roots; old, familiar, good, home grown products. In April 2011 he opened Landmarkt, a cheerful alternative to the supermarket, in Amsterdam, with another opening in Apeldoorn shortly after. Ping Pong design were commissioned to develop the visual identity.

Claire Parker, creative director at Design Bridge: “We all know that it’s what you say and do, as much as how you look and feel that builds a brand. From what I’ve seen then that is exactly what they are doing. Landmarkt have really connected with the truth at the heart of their story, expressing that as a personality that appears to inform their brand-world in a compelling and differentiated way. This is not just about just having a good idea, they have obviously been asking the right questions to uncover the insights that inform all of their brand decisions; from the people who work there to the information graphics and tone of voice. This feels like a brand that has a clear vision on what it wants to be. I’m just off to do some shopping myself – if they live up to the promise I’ve seen online then I’m looking forward to a refreshingly new experience.” Score: 8

Alef de Jong, strategist at Koeweiden Postma: “What a relief. Natural products from the region in a very contemporary way. Wonderful. The style is fresh and light and has a natural feel, as if made by the people of Landmarkt themselves. The house style is communicative, dynamic and executed with quality. The icing on the cake is the humour that is subtly employed. The result is that you get the feeling that you are buying authentic products with a good price/quality relationship. Very honest and successful.” Score: 9

Tom Dorresteijn, CEO of Studio Dumbar: “What I find delightful about the style is the individual character, the departure from the industry code. It’s often obvious that retail environments and brands are too studied and stylised and as a result lack character. This is a choice with character, such as the overall concept. That however leads to a footnote. The store (market) is decorated as if it’s not a commercial initiative. The visual identity corresponds with this, but perhaps adds too little to the whole, like a chameleon blending in to its environment. Although I understand that Landmarkt doesn’t want to be a brand store, the execution of the visual identity could have been more powerful in my opinion.” Score: 7

Here’s the original article in Dutch:

Marketing Tribune is a trade paper for marketing professionals. The magazine features current events in marketing through analysis, background articles and opinions. Topics are being explored in depth editorially by means of dossiers in the magazine and separate enclosures.

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