- Home
- Background
- Objectives
Objectives
After the Second World War, Dutch central government was divided into ministries. Each ministry’s letterhead carried a variation of the national coat of arms. Then in the 1970s, the ministries started wanting to distinguish themselves from each other. One by one, they all opted for a distinct visual identity. In 2007, the fourth Balkenende government decided to put an end to this fragmented public face. There was to be a single visual identity for all central government organisations. The ancient coat of arms made a glorious comeback in the shape of a new single logo.
The 1 Logo project
On 4 July 2007, the Cabinet decided that, within three years, the Rijkslogo and its accompanying visual identity should be used by all organisations falling directly under ministerial responsibility. These organisations include the ministries themselves, inspectorates, implementing organisations, agencies and interministerial entities. Under ‘Organisations’, you can see which organisations use the central government visual identity.
The wide variety of logos previously used by various government organisations made them less recognisable, causing confusion among the public and business community. People were no longer able to see the wood for the trees. Central government organisations seemed to be competing rather than cooperating with each other. This approach compounded the widely held view that central government was fragmented. It increased public confusion about the tasks and roles of central government. And it made communications less effective and efficient.
The introduction of a single logo and visual identity did not solve every problem, but it was essential to making government recognisable and accessible. Policy, its implementation, and the provision of public services can be joined up only by unifying communications. The key is not the organisational structure of central government, but how it presents itself to the public and the business community. As well as making central government more recognisable to the public, the implementation of the visual identity has produced demonstrable efficiency gains.
Publication
In 2010, a book was published on the history of visual communications by central government. Its title: De Stijl van het Rijk (The Style of the State). The book is a tribute to the visual identities now being wound up, and it tells the story of the creation of the new central government visual identity.
The book arose from a partnership between the 1 Logo project team and the non-profit Stichting Design Den Haag. It is available in specialist bookshops in both Dutch and English.
