The aim and the strategic goal of the initially conceptual commission awarded to Atelier Gassner was to provide contemporary visual communication for the regional capital Bregenz. Several workshops with city officials along with a number of graphic studies resulted in concrete recommendations as regards action to be taken; these included differentiation and organisation of official, cultural and commercial measures and the revitalisation of the existing profile. The characteristic mirroring of the word- and image-mark originally created by Reinhold Luger was deliberately retained in order to exploit its established familiarity. Instead of the screening used previously, the required contrast between light and dark is produced by the difference between the fixed Grotesk typeface and the delicate mirrored Antique. The logotype is formally developed into a robust and easily scalable form. The new appearance is used for a variety of quite different applications and is documented in a design guide. The Markenhandbuch (brand manual) designed by Atelier Andrea Gassner is an exemplary application of creative use of existing design elements. Here theory meets practice, the graphic brand meets the town brand “Bregenz”, the mirrored name encounters its synonymous visualisation in the photographs of the Hafenpromenade. With its concise, convenient format, the brand manual creates a resonance between place and symbols, between the city’s understanding of itself and its public image. The statements, some of them pragmatically formulated, in combination with free photographic impressions aim at bringing the values, meanings, images and stories that make up Bregenz to the point.

The logo is based on the idea of a seal. We are familiar with the seal as a form of certification that conveys commitment, security, and legality. The traditional circular shape, the coat of arms of the Austrian state as a national emblem, a modern font family and the names of three notary’s offices are the ingredients for a strong joint brand architecture. Differentiation is introduced by the different names and colours. Designed as responsive, the websites derive their life from “icons of navigation”. Theme-related illustrations function as a primary interactive guiding element of the graphic user interfaces. The photographs show authentically the personal aspects and the people behind the legal paragraphs Responsive web design means a design concept that is adaptable as regards both illustration and application, from the wide monitor to the small smartphone. And in both landscape and portrait format. In an age in which digital communication increasingly takes place on the smartphone, responsiveness is an important design factor.

For many people, the notary’s office is a “necessary evil” rather than a helpful service point for dealing with important things in life. This cooperation between different notaries takes a new path and presents itself as a modern service business. By creating an intelligent profile Atelier Andrea Gassner shows how contemporary corporate design can clearly convey the qualities of a serious and trustworthy business. The logo based on the idea of a seal. We are familiar with the seal as a form of certification that conveys commitment, security, and legality. The traditional circular shape, the Austrian state coat-of-arms as a national emblem, a modern font family and the names of the three notary’s offices are the ingredients for a strong joint brand architecture. Differentiation is introduced by the different names and colours. The modern visual language for graphic design, typography and photography in both print and web conveys sociability and openness and, at the same time, a sense of seriousness.

Behind the term »spatial planning« there is planning work that often has wide-reaching, for individuals occasionally drastic, consequences. The Department of Spatial Planning and Building Law from the Office of the Vorarlberg State Government wishes to awaken and strengthen an awareness and understanding of spatial planning and regional development among those with an interest in this theme and those who hold positions of responsibility. Atelier Andrea Gassner designs magazines that people like to take into their hands and browse through and that repeatedly lead them to immerse themselves in the depths of the texts. The high design quality of text-heavy and complex contents is not a product of chance. Behind this is plenty of experience in the bibliophilic design of books of quality along with constant close examination of the respective contents. The printing material and the kind of binding alone distinguish the annual journal from the usual kinds of printed matter. The requirements for the cover, section pages, beginning and end scenarios that are defined in the basic concept ensure the requisite tension. The typography, print space, and image grid meet the demands of good legibility and clarity. The communicative use of cartography, ortho-photos, diagrams, and explanatory graphics as well as pictorial representation is a special part of the whole. This includes editorial photo-briefing and, for some themes, the photographic implementation itself.

How should an architect communicate – his team, his achievements, his ideas? Architecture comes from a creative act. The creation itself should serve the architecture client and not, at least not excessively, the architect’s own presentation. With a calm, appropriate design Atelier Andrea Gassner creates a contemporary graphic ambiance for the way in which an Augsburg architecture practice presents itself to the public. The results are pragmatic signs, typographies, and functional concepts for visual communication. These are applied to the basic settings and project folders, to presentation charts and digital means of communication. In his introduction to semiotics Umberto Eco notes: “Once it is established that architecture can be regarded as a system of signs, it is, above all, these signs that must be characterised.”

For the design concept for the website of this Augsburg architecture practice Atelier Andrea Gassner uses photos, texts and plans – i.e. the elements used to depict architecure – as signs that can be moved vertically in a horizontally divided surface. Scrolling across the vertical develops a content that is moved twice – pictures on top, floorplans or texts in the bottom area. The site invites you to interact – but without getting lost in pointless games – and works responsively in both wide and portrait format. The visual character is shaped by a lot of white space, with a flexible and yet astonishingly simple design grid. Responsive web design means the adaptability of a design concept in depiction and application, from the wide monitor to the small smart phone. In both vertical and horizontal format. At a time when digital communication is practiced increasingly on the smart phone, responsiveness is an important design factor.

A tree grows in the forest – wood comes from the tree – and the wood becomes a house. The wooden “woodpassage” sculpture placed outdoors in the centre of Europe exemplifies this process. With simple pictographic symbols over forty stages, it conveys the transformation from fir to house. This conversion is shown by the Atelier Andrea Gassner as cuts out of large blocks of wood, cut by cut. The result is a sensory experience; consisting of four wooden gates, 4.32 m wide, 4.32 m high and 8.65 m long, the “woodpassage” expresses a strong three-dimensional message when viewed from afar. Whilst strolling through the cheerfully illuminated passage, it becomes playful ambassador for the ecological advantages of timber construction. *From tree to house!* Experience the walk-in installation. An initiative of proHolz Austria, proHolz Bavaria, Lignum Switzerland *Forests create a good climate and the resource wood.* Through sustainable management, forestry ensures the forest habitat and the availability of wood. The forest area in Europe grows by 1,500 soccer fields every day. Only 2/3 of the growth are actually used. *Wood is available and offers a chance to change resource use.* The construction sector accounts for around 40% of all resources. The use of building products made from renewable raw materials saves and secures resources for the future. About 13 cubic meters of wood were needed for the construction of these 4 gates. This amount grows back in Europe’s forests in 1/2 a second. *Building with wood protects our climate.* The photosynthesis of the trees binds 1 ton of CO2 in 1 cubic meter of wood. Timber buildings extend carbon storage capacity and thus relieve the climate in a sustainable way. About 13 tons of CO2 are permanently bound in the wood of these 4 gates. This corresponds to the pollutant emissions of a passenger car over 8 years.