Karmen Camina
Karmen Camina is a multifaceted cultural venue located in the former ‘Manufacture des Tabacs’ of Strasbourg, France. Named after the opera character ‘Carmen’ – a tobacco factory – and the nearby chimney (‘camīnus’) that once served in the factory, the venue embodies a unique blend of history and creativity.
Karmen Camina brings together two concert halls and a café under one roof, offering a wide range of high-quality programmes. To capture the essence of this hybrid space and its diverse offerings, we have developed a combinatorial identity system.
logotype - identity guidelines - website - social media mixed formats
Karmen Camina
This system operates on an empirical and modular basis, with each creation featuring a unique combination of background elements, gradients, frame design, and logotype. Despite their differences, each visual adheres to a consistent formula, ensuring both coherence and an element of surprise within the overall identity.
Four distinct logo versions represent the hybridity and multifaceted nature of the venue. These logos share common design principles, such as tight letter spacing, equal typesetting justification, and outlined letters for added emphasis. The letter counterforms are hollowed out to optically open the logo, while the dot of the ‘i’ evokes the nearby chimney.
The cultural center's monogram ‘KC’ is used to create an wide range of visuals. Set in various fonts and outlines, it can be displayed individually, repeated, and distorted. These monograms form dense, abstract, and contrasting designs that convey a unique aesthetic. The gradient backgrounds feature halos reminiscent of thermal imagery, reflecting the building's former function as a boiler room within the factory.
When composed within a given format, the backgrounds adapt, deform, and compress, as if anchored at their four corners. The monogram compositions undergo similar transformations. The logo occupies the maximum possible width within the format, with the two-word name vertically justified – ‘Karmen" positioned at the top and ‘Camina’ at the bottom.
The lush designs, combined with the strict conditional composition guidelines, allow the team to create multiple visuals autonomously without redundancy.
fonts:
Almendra by Ana Sanfelippo
Apfel Grotezk Satt by Luigi Gorlero
Basteleur Bold by Keussel
Instrument Serif Regular by Rodrigo Fuenzalida & Jordan Egstad
website: karmen-camina.eu
web developer: geometry.be
