Base design help Madrid City Council embrace great design

It’s common knowledge that when it comes to great design, the public sector’s output is woefully lacking. Here in London it’s easy to forget that public communication isn’t simply limited to the excellent way finding and signage on the Underground, but extends to a whole host of printed and online communication that’s frequently incomprehensible.

So it’s pretty refreshing to come across Base design’s identity for Madrid City Council’s culture strategic plan; a body of print and digital collateral designed to inform and advise Madrid’s residents about their government’s intentions for the next three years. Based on the city’s grid, the typographic elements of the identity are integrated into the grid itself, accented with strips of colour that are meant to accentuate Madrid’s cultural growth. More impressive than the good looks of the project though is the simplicity of the communication, the information presented with clarity and restraint – an achievement rarely seen on government documents.