Stories of hope in a heart-shaped city

Bruxelles Ma Belle was commissioned by the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels for a new podcast about hopeful stories in the capital. The identity had to feel warm, public-facing, and uplifting.

The challenge was speed and clarity. The launch was planned before Christmas, so the process had to move from exploration to decision quickly while still giving the podcast a specific visual anchor.

I started with Brussels itself: the architecture, street rhythm, colours, and slightly imperfect shapes of the city. The map of Brussels became the strongest idea, redrawn as a simple white heart rather than a literal location marker.

For the final direction, I paired the city-heart with heavy italic typography and a yellow-to-orange gradient. The pink type kept the artwork visible at small sizes, while the softer background stopped it from feeling too loud. The result is hopeful, readable, and easy to recognise across podcast platforms and print.