The Schweizer Reisekasse, known publicly as Reka, is a Swiss cooperative founded on 22 June 1939 by employers, unions and tourism and transport companies to make holidays affordable for broad sections of the population. [1] Its visual identity has long centred on a white dove, a symbol that dates to the organisation’s early years.
Design and History
Reka’s iconic travel mark, featuring a white dove with the slogan “Ferien für alle” (Holidays for all), emerged in the era when holidays were not yet a matter of course for many Swiss workers. [2] The dove motif became closely associated with the cooperative’s mission of enabling holidays and leisure for everyone, a purpose that remains unchanged since 1939. [3]
In 2020, Reka commissioned the agency Jung von Matt/brand identity to modernise its corporate design. The agency translated the wordmark into a contemporary design language that picks up the basic colours red and blue, refreshed and expanded the brand colours, and added a characteristic illustration style to the imagery. [4] The new look was intended to give Reka a fresh, personal and open-minded appearance while making its social contribution tangible in communication. [5]
The 2020 refresh also separated the communication of Reka’s two business areas, Reka-Geld and Reka-Ferien, allowing each to transport its themes more individually. [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The white dove has been the central symbol of Reka’s Reisemarke (travel mark) since the early days of the cooperative. It was created at a time when holidays were not yet a matter of course, accompanying the slogan “Ferien für alle”. [2] The dove continues to embody the cooperative’s founding mission of making holidays and leisure time possible for everyone. [3]
Typography and Design
In the 2020 redesign by Jung von Matt/brand identity, the Reka wordmark was translated into a contemporary formal language that draws on the basic colours red and blue. The brand colours were refreshed and expanded, and a custom illustration style was developed for use at every brand touchpoint. [4] The agency was responsible for the overall corporate design, with Christina Widmann leading the design work and Thomas Deigendesch leading strategy and consulting. [4]
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