Yelets identity guidelines (PDF, 2,2 MB, in Russian)

Yelets is an old Russian city that for centuries was inhabited by merchants and traders. In the 19th century the city had over 3,400 merchants with the overall population of 26 thousand people. Among them were 11 merchants of the first guild (billionaires of the time).

Today’s residents of Yelets are trying to maintain the heritage left to them by the merchants and long for “those” times.

The mercantile spirit is at the heart of Yelets. It can be seen in houses, in the old Zausailov tobacco factory, in the incredible number of churches whose construction was sponsored by merchant patrons.

And finally, the spirit is in the enterprising and proud people who live in this city. We want to make this heart beat again, to bring the mercantile spirit back to the city’s streets, to restore history and to make the future of Yelets connected with entrepreneurship, as it has always been.

To create an identity that would accurately reflect the essence of the city, we developed a brand platform that describes the image of Yelets and its advantages over other cities.

We studied the history, interviewed the locals and found out what kind of city Yelets is today and what it should become.

Every self-respecting merchant had his own monogram or initials. Now Yelets has its own monogram, too.

The logo resembles a signature and alludes to pre-revolutionary merchant monograms.

The symbol can be colored in any color and reproduced with any technology: printing, embroidery, light tubes, stencils or appliqué. We even created a special symbol generator that allows to make multi-colored versions of the logo.

Placed on façades of public spaces and cafés, advertising posters and souvenirs, the logo brings the mercantile spirit back to Yelets. Entrepreneurs open themed restaurants and clusters, tourists come to the city for the pre-revolutionary atmosphere, take photos for Instagram and spend money on souvenirs. Locals no longer want to move to Saint Petersburg or Moscow, they want stay and to work in their hometown.

The entrepreneurial spirit returns to Yelets. Yelets is flourishing.