# Not making more, but choosing better

Merkbaar™ is more than our name. It is what we believe: a brand that rings true is recognised before anyone explains it. Since 2005, from our studio in Apeldoorn.

## For centuries, people have set a mark beneath what they believe in.

A symbol, a seal, a name. They show what someone stands for, without explanation. That is still how a strong brand works. In Japanese it is called Sonzaikan: presence by leaving only what rings true.

### Sonzaikan

Literally: the feeling of presence. Something that is there without asking for attention. That is what we look for in every brand.
- **Weight**: A brand with mass does not need to shout.
- **Leaving out**: What is not there strengthens what is.
- **Recognition**: You see it, and you know at once whose it is.

### Ma

Ma is the space between things. Not emptiness, but calm that gives meaning. That is where every brand begins for us: the core first, then the rest.
- **Calm**: Room to choose, before anything is designed.
- **Taking away**: Until only what is true remains.
- **Here too**: Plenty of space, few words. You see it on every page.

### Hanko

A hanko is a Japanese seal: a signature that says something is right. That is how we look at a logo. Not a means of explanation, but a signature beneath something that already stands.
- **One mark**: The same everywhere, recognisable everywhere.
- **A promise**: What stands above it has to ring true.
- **Our own seal**: Square, with a point that falls outside the frame.

### Tategaki

Tategaki is Japanese writing from top to bottom. You read it in one movement. That is how a brand goes out into the world: in one line, from the core to the very last application.
- **One line**: Campaigns and content follow the same direction.
- **Rhythm**: Recognition comes from repetition, not volume.
- **Here too**: The vertical labels on this site are tategaki.

### Yokogaki

Yokogaki is Japanese writing from left to right, the way we read. The script of every day. That is where a brand lands: on the website and in everything used day to day.
- **Readable**: Clear for everyone who uses the brand.
- **Yours**: Easy to manage yourself, without needing us.
- **Lasting**: Made to grow with you, not to age.

## Four words. One culture.
- **Ma**: Space. What you leave out gives the rest its meaning.
- **Hanko**: The seal. A mark beneath something that rings true.
- **Tategaki**: Top to bottom. One line, from core to application.
- **Yokogaki**: Left to right. Where your brand is read every day.

## You talk to the maker. No account manager in between.

Clemens Beneder founded Merkbaar™ in 2005. He is at the table from the first introduction and stays there until the final delivery.

## Working together is more than a relationship. It is a choice, made by both sides.
1. **Direction first**: We do not start with materials or quick fixes, but with the core.
2. **Straight talking**: No woolly marketing. We say what we see, even when that means less work for us.
3. **One point of contact**: You talk to Clemens Beneder. We put the team together for each brand.
4. **Afterwards too**: A brand is never finished. If you want, we stay involved.

We do not take your choices out of your hands. We do take on everything the craft demands.

## One metal building. 47 windows.

Our studio is on the former Zwitsal site in Apeldoorn, in the only building made entirely of metal. Plenty of light, plenty of space. That is where brand and people come together.

## Start at the core. Book an introduction with Clemens Beneder.

hallo@merkbaar.nl · 055 360 1007 · Vlijtseweg 112, 7317 AG Apeldoorn

Source: https://merkbaar.nl/en/culture/