Work · 2013–2014

Hotelfernschule Poppe & Neumann

Hotelfernschule Poppe & Neumann, a distance-learning school for hospitality, takes people from the kitchen, the restaurant floor and the hotel further alongside their jobs, all the way to the master craftsman’s exam at the Chamber of Commerce (IHK). The learning happens at home; the school arrives by screen and letterbox. We gave it a presence that looks like a fine establishment, even from afar. And gave the qualification a place on the chef’s jacket.

Services
  • Corporate design
  • Web design
  • Navigation and icons
  • Course registration
  • Certificate
  • Pins and pin holder
Year
2013–2014
On a wooden table: the Hotelfernschule Poppe & Neumann certificate with a double blue frame, beside it a dark blue folder with the PN monogram, on the left a white pin holder with a note of congratulations, a pin in its box and an empty clear box
Certificate, folder, pin and holder.
Starting point

Distance learning happens between two shifts, at the kitchen table, after hours. You meet the school on its website, in the registration form and, at the very end, on the certificate.

These three do what a building, a front desk and a handshake would otherwise do. So we designed them like good hosts: attentive, tidy and with a feel for the big moment.

Mark

The full name needs room that a lapel pin doesn’t have. So we condensed it to P and N, with a stroke beneath that tapers towards the ends like a ceremonial signature.

The monogram appears wherever things turn ceremonial: on the folder, as a seal on the certificate, on the pin.

Close-up: the PN monogram in silver on dark blue, beneath it a gold stroke that tapers to a point at both ends
Small enough for a pin, big enough for a seal.
Website

People who train further think about their workplace, not the examination regulations. So the menu is organised by kitchen, restaurant service, hotel and chain catering, all at a glance.

A small symbol also tells you where a course leads: to the Chamber of Commerce exam, all the way to master level, or to one of the school’s own courses. You know what you’re getting before you click.

GeneralKitchenServiceHotelChain cateringIHKIHKHospitality assistantIHKIHKTraining the trainersApprentice support coursesHospitality basicsIHKIHKMaster chefIHKIHKDiet cookIHKIHKChefIHKIHKRestaurant masterIHKIHKRestaurant specialistIHKIHKHotel masterIHKIHKHospitality managerIHKIHKHotel specialistIHKIHKHotel administratorIHKIHKHospitality managerIHKIHKSpecialist in chain cateringSymbol and colourIHKTraining up to master levelIHKTrade qualificationSchool course
  1. 01 / 04Fourteen courses, one long list. From hospitality assistant to hotel master, all in one column. Looking for yours still means reading them all.
  2. 02 / 04Sorted by workplace. Kitchen, service, hotel, chain catering and what applies to everyone. Your own area first, then the course. Hospitality manager sits wherever people look for it. So, twice.
  3. 03 / 04The symbol names the exam. IHK in a circle means an exam at the Chamber of Commerce, PN means one of the school’s own courses. You can see what a course is worth before you click.
  4. 04 / 04The colour names the level. Master, trade, course: three levels, three colours. The menu becomes a map of your own career.
Course pages

Every course page opens with what a decision needs: qualification, state accreditation, start date, duration. Always in the same box, always in the same place. Comparing becomes skimming.

The course runs along a line: distance learning, seminar, exam. You can see in advance when you study alone and when you pack your suitcase.

Screenshot of a course page: the “At a glance” box with the qualification Küchenmeister/-in (IHK), the state accreditation number, course start on the 1st and 15th of every month and course duration
Everything a decision needs, in one box.
Screenshot of a course page: two timelines for part 1, “Training the trainers”, and part 2, “Master in the hospitality trade”, with sections in blue, yellow and green and symbols for study, seminar and exam
The road to master level, drawn as a line.
Registration

This is where interest turns into a decision. The form asks who you are first, then which course, and finally when you want to start. Duration, monthly instalment and total price sit right alongside, with no small print.

You can fill it in on screen. If you’d rather sign with a pen, print it out.

Visualisation: the Hotelfernschule Poppe & Neumann registration form on a desk
The registration form. Visualisation.
Certificate

Up to two and a half years of distance learning end in a single sheet of paper. It should look like what it means. Not like a letter from the council.

So: a frame, space, a classic typeface. At the top the frame opens for the logo; at the bottom the monogram closes it like a seal. Plus a folder that nobody puts in a drawer.

6.3 mm0.94 mmLines 0.24 and 0.71 mm99.7 mm50.7 mm210 × 297 mm
  1. 01 / 04Two lines instead of one. Fine outside, bold inside, just under a millimetre apart. The double frame works like a mount and gives the sheet weight without raising its voice.
  2. 02 / 04The frame makes room. At the top it opens, two short strokes holding the gap. The logo doesn’t sit on the frame. It belongs to it.
  3. 03 / 04Plenty of white for one name. The title in small caps, a short stroke, then only the fields that count. The less there is on the sheet, the more the name on it weighs.
  4. 04 / 04In the end, the house vouches. Two lines for the place and the head of school’s signature, the monogram in a circle between them. At the top the school introduces itself, at the bottom it stands by its word.
Distinction

On experienced chefs’ jackets, pins tell of past kitchens and awards. The school plays along: every certificate comes with a pin bearing the monogram.

It arrives in a holder that stands on its own, with the congratulations right beneath. So the qualification doesn’t hang in the hallway. It goes to work, on the chest, right into the kitchen.

0.75 mmCurve per edge0.18 mmSilver rim0.61 mmGold at the centre05101520mm14.0 mm10.0 mm
  1. 01 / 04A cushion, not a rectangle. All four edges curve gently outwards. The pin looks padded, more button than badge.
  2. 02 / 04A rim that catches the light. Rim and letters have a metallic shine, the background stays calm. On a jacket the pin flashes with every move, and the monogram stays legible.
  3. 03 / 04Gold that tapers off. The stroke beneath the letters is boldest in the middle and ends in a point. It underlines without showing off.
  4. 04 / 04Small enough for any jacket. Fourteen by ten millimetres. Big enough for someone to ask. Small enough to wear every day.
Two white pin holders standing on a wooden table, the school’s logo at the top, in the middle the pin with the PN monogram in a clear box, below it “Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur bestandenen Prüfung!” (Congratulations on passing your exam)
The holder stands on its own. So does the pride.
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