Josefov

I created a brand identity for Josefov, Prague's Jewish Quarter and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known for its rich Jewish history as early as the 10th century, Josefov has a great variety of architecture that shows the ebbs and flows of Jewish life in Prague.

Josefov's population increased alongside antisemitic legislation – usually decreeing Josefov a Jewish Ghetto – and antisemitic events such as crusades and pogroms. When politicians struck down antisemitic legislation, Josefov's population decreased (since Jews could live outside the Ghetto). A building was often named after the progressive politician. Josefov had deep roots in mysticism in the medieval times, namely, the Golem figure. The buildings survived WWII because Adolf Hitler wanted to create a museum out of the neighborhood after eradicating the Jewish people.

To synthesize all of this history and culture, I rooted myself in the phrase "clever perseverance to life." Visually, I grounded myself in its architecture, especially when popular architecture was altered to fit Jewish life. Namely, one Gothic-style synagogue added a fifth line to a pointed arch to avoid creating a cross with the traditional pointed arch comprised of four lines. To incorporate this idea in the wordmark, I used all-caps and even curved the E and F's middle horizontal lines (called bars) to avoid making right angles and accidental crosses.