How the logo was chosen

The logo for the 50^th anniversary is the winner of a competition launched by the EU to design a birthday logo for the 50^th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Here you find information about:

• The competition
• The winners
• Photos and videos of the ceremony

 

The competition

With the motto “Happy birthday EU” on 6 July 2006 the EU launched a competition for a birthday logo to be used as the official symbol for the 50^th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

The competition was organized by the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. 

Students of art, graphic design, communication design, visual communication, media design or related disciplines, as well as design professionals, who graduated from university or college in 2006 from the 27 Member States, were invited to participate in the competition. They were invited to create a logo and also, if they wished, a slogan about European cooperation. The logo had to refer to the 50^th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and reflect the EU’s achievements – such as peace and prosperity – and its future, i.e. what kind of EU they want for future generations.

The competition, which closed on 30 September 2006, attracted an unexpectedly high number of participants – 1,701 – from all Member States.

The winning logos were selected in a two-step process.

First, a panel of 11 internationally renowned art and design experts viewed all entries and selected the 10 best logos out of the originally 1,701 proposals.

The three best logos were then selected by a final jury, consisting of Mr Hans Brunmayr, Director General of Press, Communication and Protocol at the Council, Mrs. Jillian van Turnhout, Vice-President of the Various Interests Group of the European Economic and Social Committee, Claude Du Granrut, member of the Committee of the Regions and counsellor in the Picardie region in France, and of European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström and Vice-President of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who co-chaired the jury.

The jury’s decisions were announced at an award ceremony held in Brussels on 17 October 2006, which the ten finalists were invited to attend. 

The winner was Szymon Skrzypczak, a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan (Poland). He received the award of € 6,000 euros, while Tore Rosbo from Denmark and Jenny Lundgren from Sweden received awards for the second and third best logos, € 4,000 and € 2,000 respectively. The best three also received a trophy, while all 10 finalists received a diploma.

The winners

Skrzypczak, Szymon (Poland): “Tögethér” - 1st place

In line with the Commission’s Plan D (Democracy, Debate, Dialogue), this logo gives a graphic interpretation to the voice of all Europeans, especially the new generations. These Europeans look for peace, stability and prosperity without taking anything away from their rights of individuality and diversity. The word “together” expresses in a simple and immediate way what was originally bound to the idea of Europe: not only politics, or money, or geographic boundaries, but most of all co-operation and solidarity.

The different letters, using different typefaces, express the diversity in European history and culture, and are kept “together” by the meaning of the word itself. The irony inspired by fashion labels is well suited to a single out-standing activity such as the celebration of the 50th anniversary. The sub-line “SINCE 1957” is an essential part of this irony, and most importantly the main link to the Treaty of Rome.

Szymon Skrzypczak was born on October 3rd in 1983 and is currently a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan. He specialises in graphic design and illustration. Besides his studies the 23 year old likes drawing, sculpture, design, music and sport.

Rosbo, Tore (Denmark): “Crossing Cultures” - 2nd place

This second logo proposal is based on two main concepts: one simple use of the acronym “EU 50”, which by itself is a concise way of expressing the idea of an anniversary; a way that is common to the philatelic tradition, and in general to all functional graphic design. But to this rather abrupt concept, the author added the crossing coloured pathways generated by the superimposition of the two groups of letters and numbers. The final result is a balanced and elegant composition in which the colour-changing pathways corresponding to the acronym, give an idea of Europe as a confluence of different interests and cultures.

Lundgren, Jenny (Sweden): “Community of languages” - 3rd place

The third logo project also displays a graphic synthesis of this ideal of Europe as an institution, that gives importance to each individual. One important element of this kaleidoscope of cultural and historical entities is represented by the different languages. On the neutral warm grey colour grid made by the letters of the words “EUROPEAN UNION”, the author superimposed a family of coloured handwritten phonetic signs that represent the coexistence of the different cultures within the European Union. Used in this way the phonetic signs lose their original function and become a multicoloured part of the graphic composition and represent the symbolic component of the logo.

Photos and videos of the ceremony

The award ceremony was held in Brussels on 17 October 2006. The awards were presented by European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallström and Vice-President of the European Parliament Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who also co-chaired the final jury. The ceremony was attended by the ten pre-selected finalists as well as by journalists from all over Europe and representatives of EU institutions.

See the pictures of the ceremony

Watch the video of the ceremony (full version) 37'14"

Watch the video of the ceremony (short version) 02'36"