58 Years of Benin’s Independence

Official logo of Benin’s National Day
For over twenty years, Benin’s National Day celebrations lacked a unified visual identity and a distinct graphic signature. In 2018, the Presidency commissioned me to bridge this historical gap. The constraint was extreme: ideate, design, and deliver a completely new art direction within just seven days.
The constraint was extreme: imagine, design, and deliver a new brand identity in just seven days.
Design structure of the pre-2018 August 1st logo
Selected version of the new logo
When addressing a brand of national significance, the conventional route often leads to an overaccumulation of decorative symbols. I chose the opposite approach: radical minimalism grounded in pure geometry.

 

The goal was not to design a temporary event graphic for August 1, 2018, but to forge a timeless symbol—one capable of embodying the republican spirit, enduring through time, and anchoring itself instantly in the collective memory. Of the three directions presented to the Presidency, the cleanest and most rigorous concept was selected.

Logo presentation aligned with the government’s visual identity
This visual shift redefined how the nation communicates during its most solemn gathering. The strategic relevance of the redesign was personally acknowledged by the former Head of State Patrice Talon, validating the impact of the intervention.

 

Originally created for a single edition, the identity transcended its initial scope. It has since been adopted for subsequent national celebrations, remaining a benchmark for civic branding and institutional design in Benin.

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