Düsseldorf’s most beautiful farmers’ market

Düsseldorf’s most beautiful farmers’ market

Düsseldorf’s oldest weekly market combines tradition and modernity. In the heart of the city, over sixty stalls offer customers products of the highest freshness, quality and variety.

Historic copperplate engravings and modern typography form the basis of the visual concept for the corporate design, representing both the history and the present of the market. A variety of imagery reflects the breadth of the culinary offering. A variable colour concept dips the current Carlsplatz media into an appropriate colour scheme depending on the season.

A horizontal advertising banner at Carlsplatz featuring the slogan “Super Markt” and a series of colorful copperplate illustrations of market produce: onions, beef, pears, turnips, mushrooms, carrots, mussels, wine, and a watering can
Typography sample page for the Carlsplatz corporate design, featuring examples of the brand typefaces—a bold sans-serif font for promotional signs and a serif font for body text—including a complete set of letters and numbers
Derivation of the Carlsplatz logo: on the left, a map excerpt showing the market square’s location; on the right, the black wordmark logo “CARLSPLATZ” developed from it
Two logo variants for the Carlsplatz brand with the tagline “Der Markt.”: top, the positive version in black on a light background; bottom, the negative version in light on a black background
Four color circles for the Carlsplatz seasonal palettes “Spring,” “Summer,” “Fall,” and “Winter,” each with a primary color and three corresponding accent shades
A large-format Carlsplatz advertising banner on the roof of the market building, featuring a logo and colorful copperplate illustrations of vegetables and mushrooms
A grid-like arrangement of seven Carlsplatz postcards, each featuring a different colored copperplate illustration and the logo—including motifs of fish, cabbage, berries, and onions

Under the headlines “Colourful, Fresh, Delicious” and “In the heart of the city”, an extensive communication campaign was launched to introduce the new branding. Combined with ongoing PR work, the market’s image and profile were raised in a very short space of time. Carlsplatz is now one of the most popular destinations for visitors to Düsseldorf from all over the world.

An illuminated City-Light billboard featuring Carlsplatz at a Düsseldorf bus stop in the fall: copperplate engravings on a white background with the slogan “Colorful. Fresh. Delicious.” and the website address

“Saturdays at Carlsplatz, a little bit of shopping, having a bite to eat: This is a popular and enjoyable pastime for many people. You can tell there’s a change in the air at the weekly market these days.”
— Rheinische Post

Newspaper advertisement for Carlsplatz featuring the slogan “Right in the heart of the city,” surrounded by copperplate engravings and the Carlsplatz logo on a white background
White Carlsplatz paper shopping bag with burgundy sides and colorful copperplate illustrations of market products, as well as the Carlsplatz logo

A new content strategy was developed in addition to the traditional communication measures: The website offers editorial content about life at the market and the products of the traders. The specially developed “Carlsblatt”, a regular micro-magazine, whets the appetite for a shopping tour of Carlsplatz and offers inspiring articles on food and culinary experiences.

A colorful bouquet of wildflowers in a white vase with a yellow base, next to it the front page of the CARLSblatt’s Summer 2021 issue featuring the lead story “Sunny Outlook” and a photo of a hand holding an ice cream cone
A double-page spread from the CARLSblatt featuring the article “All About the Region” about local market vendors, a photo of red beets and potatoes, and the infographic “The Big Number” with facts and figures about Carlsplatz
The front page of the Winter 2021 issue of CARLSblatt, featuring the lead story “A Treat for All the Senses” and an Advent arrangement with candles, pinecones, and a deer figurine against a dark green background
A two-page spread from CARLSblatt featuring the interview “Generation Market Faces” with portrait photos of four market vendors at their respective stalls
Homepage of the Carlsplatz website with the slogan “Colorful. Fresh. Delicious.” in front of a photo of a flower stand with a customer and a market vendor in the background
“Market Life” subpage of the Carlsplatz website featuring the profiles “Laikon” and “THE SUSHI LAB.”, with photos of the nut roastery stand operator and the team from THE SUSHI LAB. in front of their stand
“The Market” subpage of the Carlsplatz website with the subtitle “Interesting Facts About Carlsplatz,” featuring a photo of a woman taking a picture of a colorful flower stand with her smartphone
Postcards for the 2017 Carlsplatz event “Meet the Winemakers – Winemaker Pop-Up Stand at Obermarkt,” in light green with an illustration of grapevines
A hand holds a fan-shaped stack of Carlsplatz gift certificates in denominations of €5 and €10, featuring copperplate engravings of fish, lime, pear, and herbs
A vegetable display at Carlsplatz featuring beets, parsnips, and cabbage in green crates, with handwritten price tags
A Golden Retriever puppy on a leash stands at a meat counter on Carlsplatz and looks intently at the saleswoman behind the display
A cream cheese counter on Carlsplatz featuring various varieties such as tzatziki, Peppadew, and honey cream cheese in small bowls; a hand is filling a tasting cup with pesto
Portrait of a saleswoman in a white apron bearing the inscription “Schlösser” in front of a sausage counter with hanging salamis and other sausages at Carlsplatz
View over the glass roofs of the market stalls at Carlsplatz toward the surrounding row of Düsseldorf buildings with historic facades

Client: Wochenmarkt Karlplatz GmbH & Co. KG, Düsseldorf
In cooperation with: L*Étoile PR, Tina Husemann
Services: Concept and consulting, corporate design, editorial design, screen design and development, editing.
Year: since 2015
Photos: Sabrina Weniger, Kristof Puller, vista

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