The costly project was implemented by Bertelmann GmbH together with other lighting technology partners, Toni Maroni and Hansen Neon. The jury praised the outstanding appearance of the system, which was made possible by modern façade cladding without visible fittings, high-grade materials and an effective control. In addition, it was pointed out that existing structural elements were optimally integrated during construction of the signage.

The award was presented during the viscom düsseldorf 2011, the international trade fair for visual communication, technology and design. The jury consisted of representatives of the Zentralverband Werbetechnik e.V., EFRA Lichtwerbung Ernst Franke GmbH und Co. KG, the trade magazine LICHT and the organiser of viscom, Reed Exhibitions Germany.

Project and objective

An unmistakable and appropriate light show for the location was the objective when Merkur took on board Bertelmann GmbH for the redesign of its venue at the Hamburg Reeperbahn. With this, the signage needed to place in perspective the known trademark - the Merkur Sun and the red underlined neon Casino sign. With this high-grade visual design of the building, the company intends to set itself apart from the competition and become a crowd puller.

The façade, the canopy as well as the advertising on the roof of the games arcade was newly designed. This involved the use of modern materials, such as Trespa, Plexiglas Satinice WH02 SC and Plexiglas Multicolor silver/white as well as the latest LED lighting technology with RGB animation. To comply with the corporate identity of the company, the new logo will be the centre of attention on the roof of the building. The sun shines here at a height of almost four metres in combination with the word mark "Casino" and circular shaped illuminated contours, which take on the design of the façade and light up synchronously with the programmed animation of the whole of the entrance area. The complete light animation can be quickly and simply reprogrammed, can be dimmed and can also shine so brightly that the lighting is effective even in bright sunlight.

During implementation of the project, Bertelmann GmbH had to take into account numerous local features. For example, parts of the supporting structure of the old advertising system had to be utilised whilst, at the same time, the neighbouring building also had to be covered due to the increased size of the games arcade. Since the new façade cladding was not allowed to exceed a maximum depth of 9 cm, an extremely flat illuminated contour design was developed. The mounting technique avoided visible fittings. A high-grade visual signage is the result.