Animated covers of 14, the Port of Brussels magazine designed by SIGN, on a lime background

Magazine 14

Magazine 14

Client

Port de Bruxelles

YEAR

2023

Project type

Opening the Port to the city through stories, people and projects.

TEAM

Astrid Verdeyen
Carole Mannekens
Steffen Fredholm

Project overview

Most people who think they know the Port of Brussels are picturing about two hundred metres of it: the marina at Pont Van Praet, maybe a barge or two. The Port actually runs fourteen kilometres through the city, carrying more of Brussels' daily life than almost anyone realises.



Visages du Port, later reworked into today's magazine, was built to close that gap, not with statistics but with faces: the people who load the barges, run the warehouses, keep fourteen kilometres of infrastructure working while the city drives past without looking.

Five editions in, alongside a companion website built with Bien à Vous, the magazine has become less a communications tool than a slow, ongoing introduction. Proof that a port becomes memorable the moment it stops being a backdrop and starts having a face.

Most people who think they know the Port of Brussels are picturing about two hundred metres of it: the marina at Pont Van Praet, maybe a barge or two. The Port actually runs fourteen kilometres through the city, carrying more of Brussels' daily life than almost anyone realises.



Visages du Port, later reworked into today's magazine, was built to close that gap, not with statistics but with faces: the people who load the barges, run the warehouses, keep fourteen kilometres of infrastructure working while the city drives past without looking.

Five editions in, alongside a companion website built with Bien à Vous, the magazine has become less a communications tool than a slow, ongoing introduction. Proof that a port becomes memorable the moment it stops being a backdrop and starts having a face.

Magazine 14 opening page: a giant black 14 beside the text Pourquoi ce titre ? on lime
Magazine 14 opening page: a giant black 14 beside the text Pourquoi ce titre ? on lime
Animated Magazine 14 page: a skater by the canal with the word Fun in lime
Aerial view of the Brussels canal and port buildings, featured in Magazine 14
Hands holding an open issue of Magazine 14 outdoors on paving stones
Magazine 14 spread with a large lime letter N and a page turning
Magazine 14 spread titled What's up? with two yellow smiley faces on black
Animated Magazine 14 visual: a man on a boat on the canal with the word Ahoy in lime
Magazine 14 collage of port portraits over large lime and blue lettering
Magazine 14 cover and spread with a portrait, framed by a large lime 14
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Brussels

Interested in working with us?

SIGN is a Brussels-based branding studio based. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

Our office

SIGN is an independent branding studio based in Brussels, Belgium. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

© SIGN 2026
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Brussels

SIGN is an independent branding studio based in Brussels, Belgium. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

Interested in working with us?

SIGN is a Brussels-based branding studio based. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

© SIGN 2026
--:--
Brussels

Interested in working with us?

SIGN is a Brussels-based branding studio based. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

Our office

SIGN is an independent branding studio based in Brussels, Belgium. We specialise in brand strategy, brand positioning, visual identity, verbal identity, editorial design, digital identity, design systems and creative direction. We work with cultural institutions, hospitality brands, public organisations and businesses seeking distinctive, long-lasting identities.

© SIGN 2026