Editor

Alongside a new programme format, the International Film Festival Rotterdam is also getting a new logo. This design underlines the idiosyncratic and future-oriented character of the IFFR. The logo comprises a tiger’s head and the name of the festival in capitals, both elements in black & white.

The festival wants to use the new logo to indicate it reacts actively to new developments in art film and film-related visual arts. For instance the coming edition of the festival is better suited to the organisation’s need to present the changes more clearly. Three main sections offer an opportunity to focus attention on the introduction of young film makers, on important new work by established independent talent and on topical themes.

The tiger in the new logo makes eye contact, stares straight at you and evokes a reaction. This confrontational gaze will sometimes be reminiscent of the series of festival posters by the famous Rotterdam design collective “Hard Werken” from the 1980s and 90s. The name of the festival right under the tiger’s head has a clear, characteristic typography in capitals with slightly rounded corners as often used for film and video, for instance in subtitling.

In all festival publications the new IFFR logo will in coming weeks gradually replace the logo designed by Max Kisman that has been used since 1996. Around the festival period, the new IFFR logo will appear as a campaign image on the posters and merchandise of the 38th festival edition. The basic colours of the new IFFR logo and of the campaign image for the 2009 edition will be black and white, a challenging alternative in an era of full colour graphic violence.



The design of the new IFFR logo has been undertaken and developed by the Rotterdam agency 75B, which was also responsible for the campaign image of the 2008 festival. The first cooperation with 75B dates from 2003. 75B then made the design of “True Variety, Funding the Art of World Cinema”, the festival publication to mark the 15th anniversary of the Hubert Bals Fund. 75B has worked for many cultural organisations in Rotterdam. In 2008, 75B won the Silver International Museum Communication Award with the design for Rotterdam 2007, City of Architecture.

The 38th International Film Festival Rotterdam is taking place from 21 January to 1 February 2009. The programme appears on Thursday 15 January as a supplement to the Dutch daily Volkskrant and will be online at www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com. Ticket sales start on Saturday 17 January 2009.