The spa town Bad Vöslau, just 30 minutes south of Vienna, is home to one of Austria’s most beautiful thermal baths. A little oasis of quietly refined elegance on the foothills of the expansive Wienerwald forest.
The clean spring water sold under the name Vöslauer is among the country’s best-known brands. But the area is equally well known for its wines. Both Burgundy varieties and local grapes get plenty of sun on the hills overlooking the Vienna Basin.
This combination made it a popular summer vacation spot for Vienna’s high society in the 1800s. Today, the old villas and grand parks tell stories of its past fame.
But the historical resort town is anything but sleepy! A new music school and concert venue in nearby Gainfarn Castle opened at the end of 2023 and the city center is undergoing big changes to become even greener and more pedestrian friendly.
Driven by the input of Bad Vöslau’s engaged public, which was included in the identity and design process through multiple public workshops, the team at message marketing has created a new brand identity for Bad Vöslau that combines the town’s core strengths into a strong vision and a coherent story.
At the center of the new visual identity is the exclusive house font AQVA, which was drawn with inspiration from classic art nouveau lettering.
The wordmark is set in a slightly bolder version of the same typeface, with characteristic details like the LA-ligature and a compact single line umlaut (sometimes called a Swiss umlaut).
Since a city has to communicate a wide range of topics (from parking tickets to summer festivals) to very different target groups, the design allows for both elegantly muted and more expressive colourful layouts. But the tone of voice is always friendly and with a refreshing lightness.
After all, Bad Vöslau is the place where a good life comes easy – “wo gutes Leben leichter geht”.
This project has been shortlisted for a City Nation Place Award in the category Best Use of Design.
Art Direction, Type Design
at message marketing, 2023