Dutch branding agency Studio Dumbar has designed a new visual identity for the Netherlands featuring a logo that combines the letters NL with a stylised tulip.
The Dutch government asked the Rotterdam-based studio to develop a new identity that will be used to help enhance the nation's image on the global stage.

The project was initiated because the government agencies responsible for promoting the Netherlands around the world wanted to move away from the previous visual identity, which featured a tulip and the word Holland in a hand-painted style.
The use of Holland in this context was seen by many as inappropriate as it refers to a particular region rather than the whole country. The new identity instead includes a word mark for the Netherlands alongside the NL acronym.
"Dutch people have a direct recognition and an emotional connection with NL; it stands for our country," said Tom Dorresteijn, strategy director at Studio Dumbar.
"Many people abroad know it, especially in Europe. And for those who don't, it is simply an abstract brand-symbol."

The two letters forming the NL symbol are expressed in a bold, sans serif font, and are subtly adapted so the adjacent stems create the shape of an abstracted tulip.
The tulip is commonly used as a symbol for the country, along with the colour orange, which is also retained and applied across the new visual identity.

Dorresteijn told Dezeen that the reference to the tulip is intentionally subtle, as the logo ...