Explore the thoughtful branding and visual identity project by Nacione™™ for São Paulo's iconic Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu stadium.

São Paulo's Pacaembu stadium holds a special place in the city's heart. It's an iconic spot, full of history and memories for countless people. When the stadium began its renovation under the Allegra Pacaembu concession, later becoming Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu, there was a clear need for a brand identity that respected its past while looking to the future. This is where Nacione™™ Branding stepped in, taking on the challenge of crafting a visual system for this highly frequented space.

The project wasn't just about a new logo. It involved developing a full brand strategy, a distinct visual language, and a comprehensive signage system. The goal was to give the stadium a timeless yet contemporary personality, ensuring its unique character remained clear.

Nacione™™ built upon a preliminary concept from the concession competition. They tested this initial idea in various scenarios for the stadium's new phase. This process highlighted the need for a proprietary color beyond black and a language element to bridge the stadium's rich history with a fresh, modern aesthetic experience.

The refined branding project features timeless elements. An off-white color serves as a primary base for communication. This light, creamy tone provides a clean foundation. The brand icon is represented sculpturally on the facade, paired with geometric, contemporary typography. This typographic choice is a key element connecting the brand's institutional and advertising presence with the physical space.

It's worth noting that the graphic design for the brand and the signage project were developed as independent but harmonious efforts. The signage project referenced the brand identity, aiming for consonance and harmony. The overall restoration project for the Pacaembu Stadium is grounded in historical research, focused on preserving the site's significance without creating false historical records. The visual update seeks to perpetuate the cultural, historical, and social importance of the place, maintaining its form but offering a new visual perception .

Adding vibrancy, the new visual language incorporates cheerful, festive, and colorful elements. Rotated objects create personalized compositions, suggesting diverse applications. The complementary colors chosen – orange, pink, and blue – were specifically selected because they are not the colors of São Paulo's main football clubs. This thoughtful choice results in a balanced brand, avoiding club affiliations and enabling a graphic structure that works across digital platforms, social networks, and within the physical spaces of the local operation.

A significant part of the visual identity involved the creation of a custom typeface, "Tipografia Pacaembu." The design team recognized the importance of a legible font suitable for various situations, but personality was paramount . Research uncovered a 2016 signage project for Clube do Pacaembu by Fábio Salmoni, which highlighted that the original architectural project included custom block letters for identification. This discovery was crucial in deciding to create a contemporary wayfinding typeface. Typographer Álvaro Franca collaborated on the "Pacaembú" font, basing it on the Art Deco signs found in the stadium's architecture, a style common in São Paulo.

Franca's process involved site visits and photographing existing signs. He studied the letterforms to derive the full alphabet, numbers, and punctuation from a sample of about 20 uppercase letters. Designed for signage, the font prioritizes clarity and legibility, even in challenging reading conditions. Details from the original signs, like the unique /N/, /H/, and double /E/ /F/, were preserved, while inconsistencies hindering readability were corrected. The numerals were designed to occupy the same width, useful for tabulating information.

The Pacaembu font, like the stadium itself, celebrates Brazilian football – its unique character, movement, landscapes, and colors. Nacione™™ found this font to be the ideal choice, integrating history, affection for the place, and technical quality for diverse applications.

The wayfinding system was designed for circulation and navigation throughout the complex, considering the diversity of uses and spatial typologies. Signage includes signs, totems, and suspended panels, organized by area (Swimming pool, Gymnasium, Building, Open Areas, Tennis, and Stadium) while maintaining overall cohesion. The intervention in the space is minimal, focusing on essential elements for intelligent flows that don't disrupt the environment's visual aspect, while ensuring clear messaging based on accessibility maps. Visually appealing images showcasing the stadium's exterior, interior spaces, and various signage elements effectively illustrate the project's execution.

The branding and visual identity project for Mercado Livre Arena Pacaembu by Nacione™™ is a masterclass in honoring history while embracing the future. It demonstrates how thoughtful design can revitalize an iconic location, making it feel both familiar and brand new.

Explore more of Nacione™™ Branding's work: https://nacione.com/project/pacaembu

Branding and visual identity artifacts