The Parlor
90°Ik zoek. Ik vind.

ROUTE 1000 · TRACÉ BRUSSEL × THE PARLOR · 2026

We found the logo on the map of Brussels.

A new identity for Tracé Brussel, the Dutch-speaking organisation that helps people in Brussels find their way to work, training and education. The answer was already in the city: the shape of its historic centre.

Client
Tracé Brussel
Year
2026
Work
Strategy workshop, Brand identity, Brand system, Homepage concept

WHERE THE ROUTE LEADS

Tracé Brussel poster 'Werk dat past' in a Brussels metro station with commuters walking past
Social template: man in an orange beanie inside a Pentagon frame, 'In Brussel, voor Brusselaars'
Social template: 'Begin vandaag met morgen' in teal, white, yellow and plum Archer

The detour

Tracé Brussel does a lot, for a lot of people: job seekers, students, school leavers and the professionals who guide them. Over the years each service grew its own name and its own look. Werkwinkel, Leerwinkel, Jump naar Werk. The work was strong, but the organisation behind it had become hard to see. People knew the services. The umbrella over them was barely visible.

The previous Tracé Brussel logo with the line 'schakels naar werk'
BEFORE · The previous Tracé Brussel logo, 'schakels naar werk'.

The bearing

Before any design, a strategy workshop with the Tracé team. Not about logos, about direction: what Tracé is, who it is for, and how it should feel.

Free and low-threshold.

No judgement. You come as you are.

In Brussels, for people in Brussels.

From institutional to human.

Tracé had to become the point of reference again, with every service clearly part of it.

The find

Tracé means route. So we went looking on the map.

Step 1

The compass

Everyone who walks in is looking for something. A compass doesn't tell you where to go. It helps you find your own way.

90°
Tracé Brussel logo

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

I search. I find.

Step 2

The Pentagon

The historic heart of Brussels sits inside the small ring. People here call it the Vijfhoek, the Pentagon. Tracé's office is right inside it.

90°
Tracé Brussel logo

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

I search. I find.

Step 3

The cut

Set the needle inside the Pentagon on a right angle, and the two ideas become one shape.

90°
Tracé Brussel logo

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

I search. I find.

Step 4

The mark

A compass in the shape of the city.

90°
Tracé Brussel logo

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

I search. I find.

90°
Tracé Brussel logo

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

I search. I find.

The system

Then the part a small team uses every day.

Aubergine#1E032C

Plum#881E53

Teal#2CB6B5

Yellow#FCBC00

Warm and confident, far from the usual public-service blue.

Archer Bold

Ik zoek. Ik vind.

Source Sans

Werk, opleiding en onderwijs in Brussel

Archer for the voice, warm and human. Source Sans for everything that has to be read fast.

Portrait of a man in an orange beanie, framed by the PentagonPortrait of a young man, framed by the Pentagon with a teal trianglePortrait of a smiling woman, framed by the Pentagon with a plum triangle

The Pentagon becomes a frame for people.

The needle becomes a pattern. Move your cursor: every arrow points your way.

From the brand guide

The network

Tracé is the hub. Its services are the lines that run from it.

Werkwinkel Brusseleen jobLeerwinkel Brusseleen opleidingJump naar Werkeen eerste jobVoor professionalsDuaal Leren BrusselSchakels naar WerkWerkwinkel Brusseleen jobLeerwinkel Brusseleen opleidingJump naar Werkeen eerste jobVoor professionalsSchakels naar WerkDuaal Leren Brussel

Werkwinkel Brussel, Tracé's job service, got a refreshed mark inside the same system.

Brand guide page: the Werkwinkel logo on white and next to the Tracé Brussel logo on aubergine

Out in the city

Built for the street, the feed and the inbox.

MOCKUPTracé Brussel poster 'Werk dat past' in a Brussels metro station with commuters walking past
MOCKUPTracé Brussel poster in a tram shelter on a Brussels street with a cyclist passing
MOCKUPThree Tracé Brussel posters pasted on a brick wall in Brussels with a man walking past

Posters from the brand system in Brussels locations. Placements are illustrative.

Social template: portrait of a smiling woman with the line 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?' on plumSocial template: 'Zoek. Vind. Groei.' in white, yellow and teal Archer on aubergineSocial template: man in an orange beanie inside a Pentagon frame, 'In Brussel, voor Brusselaars'Social template: 'Werk dat past' on teal with a Start zoektocht buttonSocial template: 'Werk aan je toekomst' on white with a row of compass needlesSocial template: a grid of teal compass needles on aubergineSocial template: 'Begin vandaag met morgen' in teal, white, yellow and plum ArcherSocial template: young man in front of a brick wall, 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?'
Social template: 'Werk aan je toekomst' on white with a row of compass needlesSocial template: a grid of teal compass needles on aubergineSocial template: 'Begin vandaag met morgen' in teal, white, yellow and plum ArcherSocial template: young man in front of a brick wall, 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?'Social template: portrait of a smiling woman with the line 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?' on plumSocial template: 'Zoek. Vind. Groei.' in white, yellow and teal Archer on aubergineSocial template: man in an orange beanie inside a Pentagon frame, 'In Brussel, voor Brusselaars'Social template: 'Werk dat past' on teal with a Start zoektocht button
Social template: portrait of a smiling woman with the line 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?' on plumSocial template: 'Zoek. Vind. Groei.' in white, yellow and teal Archer on aubergineSocial template: man in an orange beanie inside a Pentagon frame, 'In Brussel, voor Brusselaars'Social template: 'Werk dat past' on teal with a Start zoektocht buttonSocial template: 'Werk aan je toekomst' on white with a row of compass needlesSocial template: a grid of teal compass needles on aubergineSocial template: 'Begin vandaag met morgen' in teal, white, yellow and plum ArcherSocial template: young man in front of a brick wall, 'Klaar voor de volgende stap?'

Social templates.

Tracé Brussel

Samen op weg naar werk

Portrait of a man in an orange beanie inside a Pentagon frame

Onze werkingen

  • Werkwinkel BrusselOp zoek naar werk? Onze consulenten begeleiden je persoonlijk, van cv tot sollicitatie.
  • Leerwinkel BrusselVragen over leren? Wij informeren en oriënteren Brusselaars vanaf 15 jaar naar een Nederlandstalige opleiding.
  • Jump naar WerkWe coachen Brusselse leerlingen uit het laatste jaar Nederlandstalig secundair onderwijs bij hun eerste stappen naar werk.

Prinsenstraat 8-10, 1000 Brussel
trace.brussels

Portrait of a smiling woman inside a Pentagon frame

Presentation template, with real copy.

Tracé Brussel newsletter header with the logo, the word Nieuwsbrief and a portrait in a Pentagon frame

Newsletter header.

The homepage

Tracé's website is next. We designed its homepage from Tracé's own brief: light, low-threshold, three languages, and two clear doors. One for people looking for a job or a course, one for professionals.

CONCEPT
trace.brussels

Homepage design. Not yet live on trace.brussels.

Arrival

Tracé does a lot, for a lot of people, and that made us hard to explain. The Parlor helped us choose what we stand for, and found the image for it in Brussels itself: a compass in the shape of the Pentagon.
Bjorn Lemmens, Communication, Tracé Brussel

Already on the road

The line is already travelling. Tracé named a new project after it, 'Ik zoek, ik vind mijn traject', and its language fair became 'Ik zoek. Ik vind mijn cursus Nederlands.'

What we delivered

  • Strategy workshop and synthesis
  • Logo and brand identity
  • Brand guide
  • Colours, typography and graphic elements
  • Werkwinkel Brussel refresh
  • Templates for social, presentations and the newsletter
  • Homepage concept
Client
Tracé Brussel
Strategy, identity and design
The Parlor
Creative direction
Justin Vanhaecke
Brand design
Tim Schacht
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