Client
ITS Stuttgart
Industry
Transport and Construction
Services
Rebranding, Website, Corporate Publishing, Print Design
Design is a train.
The Stuttgart-Ulm railway project is about much more than just tracks from A to B. It's about the mobility of tomorrow, reimagined urban development, the fascination of construction technology – and yes, also a political debate that almost tore this city apart. These topics need space and attention. That’s why the major project is getting a kind of content container in the form of a 4-story tower. Right in the middle, not on the sidelines. Right next to Track 16. Overlooking the XXL project: the InfoTurmStuttgart. Short: ITS.
A real mega project. Not just for the builders and the many different stakeholders, but also for Hochburg. It was about branding, rebranding, design, and democracy. Starting with the logo, through color spectrum and infographics, all the way to typography. A design process like a railway track. Where we deliberately seek proximity to the railway in the design. With a look that says rail transport. And station. And construction site – where things are in the making and in development – and not yet set in stone or cast in concrete.
When a tower becomes a stage.
The ITS houses an interactive exhibition about the Stuttgart-Ulm rail project, also known as Stuttgart21. This makes the InfoTower a stage and a hub. A crossroads and a megaphone: what will the finished station look like? What will it contribute to sustainability? How much will it cost – and why so much? The ITS educates, captivates, informs, and engages. Even skeptics: protests, mediation, demonstrations, and the referendum all find a place in the exhibition.
The graphic design across four floors – from signage to wall graphics – was created by the design forge Hochburg. The exhibition merges information, education, and entertainment into a comprehensive experience. Modular and continually updateable. Multilingual and accessible. With an app that reads content off the walls. With comics for children. With tactile guidance lines for the visually impaired. Ultimately, it's about finding your way. In the tower. In the exhibition. But above all, in this gigantic project.
A vocabulary and a tone. In the real world and the digital.
Conversation needs content. A vocabulary and a tone. In the real world as well as the digital. And especially in social media. At Hochburg, we developed a consistent identity for ITS that always speaks the same (visual) language while constantly delivering fresh content. With a corporate look for Instagram and custom-made pre-sets and filters for stories and posts.
With templates that can be easily applied by the client without having to call the agency every time. The idea is that we provide the tools that our client can use independently. Our communication package for InfoTurmStuttgart includes print and digital, interactive and textile elements. In short, everything needed to convey content and brand equally. Whether it’s on construction fencing, the website, wayfinding, or teamwear for those working on and with the project.
ITS Outdoor — 2020
ITS goes outdoor – exhibition
at the Messe Piazza.
Not only Stuttgart residents should be informed about the Stuttgart-Ulm railway project. Visitors and travelers, who only know the project from a distance, should also be reached. For this reason, the current exhibition was moved outdoors, directly onto the open space of Messe Stuttgart.
A total of 27 walls, each measuring 5m x 2.30m, bring the entire Stuttgart-Ulm railway project closer to international visitors. The focus is, of course, on the new Stuttgart Airport long-distance train station.
ITS Branding — 2020
The perfect travel companion -
ITS brochure.
The brand in space. Online. In dialogue.
Talking points need content. A vocabulary and tone. In the physical world as well as the digital one. And particularly on social media. At Hochburg, we developed a cohesive presence for ITS that always speaks the same (visual) language – while constantly delivering new content. With a corporate look for Instagram and other platforms. With custom-designed pre-sets and filters for stories and posts. With templates that clients can easily use – without having to call the agency every time.
The idea is that we provide the tools that our client can use independently. Our communication package for InfoTurmStuttgart includes print and digital, interactive and textile elements. In short, everything needed to convey content and brand equally. Whether it’s on construction fencing, the website, wayfinding, or teamwear for those working on and with the project.
Hard working and hands-on: Hochburg
Why is a relatively small agency like Hochburg from Stuttgart working on a relatively large project like InfoTurmStuttgart? The answer is already hinted at in the question: perhaps it’s due to a shared common ground—Stuttgart. We love it when our clients are local and on the same wavelength as Hochburg. When we can dig deep and surpass ourselves. When the client is bold enough to rethink things—and the agency strong enough to think it through, from start to finish. Because that’s when Hochburg is at its best.
Originally "just" hired to develop the branding for the ITS brand, we quickly wanted more—and the client wanted more Hochburg. Branding evolved into exhibition design, which turned into full communication. That’s what happens when you do a good job. You often end up doing more than just a good job. We are incredibly proud of this large-scale project—especially of our work, which could continuously develop and reinvent itself in a dynamic design process. In that sense, XL and XS fit together quite well here: extra large & extra smart.
