Keep the door open

In the contest for Zagreb’s new identity, we were asked for a vision of Zagreb, an identity connecting its future and past. An internationally recognizable identity. We were here to tell the story that we think is important. To find out what Zagreb is, when you peel all the layers of everyday life from it. And then again, maybe it is in those layers of every day, where its heart is.
I offered the vision of the city of open doors, a city of songs, with the most city-related songs per capita in the world.
It is easy to overlook the importance of music. It is invisible in our fast-see visual culture. But it holds the emotion of the time and the spirit of the place. Zagreb has always been a musical strong point on the map of Europe. All significant artists had city songs as if this was an unwritten rule. Why not invite future artists to continue that tradition?
Open doors and emphasis on the individual Zagreb stories told in songs position the city as a place where progressive young people of Europe would love to live, creating an even more vibrant and modern metropolis.
Considering the revenue generation, I proposed launching the Zagreb Carnival (traditional Fašnik), which continues after the well-known Advent period and creates an unprecedented dynamic in the city.
The city’s souvenirs, a series of everyday items (blue glasses, bags, blue fashion accessories), rely on and affirm the recognizable Zagreb blue colour.
This identity has the power to unite the most diverse stakeholders of the brand called Zagreb: from tourists to all generations of the citizens; in doing so, it modernizes the visual language of the city administration and supports all aspects of the city culture.
The overall concept of open doors suggests the way we behave in Zagreb, too — and communicates what is acceptable within city limits. When you enter those doors, keep them open. And keep your mind open too. Because the city is like a parachute — it only works when it’s open.