Language and Technology 2000 was an exhibition and conference initiative of the European Commission in 1993, focused on speech translation systems and document creation and management. The visual identity for the project was designed by Dutch graphic designer Boy Bastiaens, working in collaboration with visual designer Albert Kiefer under their joint name StormHand, which they have used for collaborative projects since 1993. The commission came through Hoynck, who handled exhibition design and project management, for the Commission of the European Community DGXIII at the CeBIT fair in Hannover, Germany. [1]
Design and History
The Language and Technology 2000 project was one of the first StormHand collaborations. Because the exhibition dealt with highly abstract subject matter, the designers created a series of imaginative metaphors combined with a clear layout and logo design. [1] The project manager initially felt uncomfortable with the design outcome and anticipated a difficult presentation in Brussels, but the graphics were ultimately received with unanimous positive response. [1]
The logo was later included in Monogram Logo: Monograms & Ciphers, a 2014 Counter-Print publication collecting 452 monograms and ciphers from international design studios. StormHand noted its inclusion with the description “the ‘Language and Technology 2000’ logo designed for the European Commission (1993).” [2]
Meaning and Symbolism
StormHand’s own account describes the design approach as rendering “a series of imaginative metaphors” to make the exhibition’s abstract content accessible. [1] The logo’s inclusion in a monogram and cipher collection indicates it was constructed as a letterform-based mark, though no further documented symbolism or specific design rationale beyond the metaphor approach has been published by the designers.
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