Hong Kong recently unveiled its newly revamped brand identity – a stylized version of its previous fiery dragon logo, which had been in use since 2001. The new dragon appears friendlier and has a colorful kite-like tail and boasts the tagline “Asia’s World City.” It looks less exotic than the old logo, but more welcoming.
That got us to wondering what other national tourism brands were out there, and what we found told us a lot about how countries try to appeal to foreign travelers. When we lined up 50 or more national logos, similar visual themes emerged. This said more about what some nations thought tourists wanted to see than about what made them distinct as a destination. On the whole, there was an inordinate use of breezy brushstroke lettering, bright tropical colors, “sunny” O’s and dotted I’s, and hearts and flowers. Some felt appropriate to the flavor, personality and tempo of the place. Others like the logos of former Soviet bloc countries felt generic and not reflective of a region that many associate with rich earthy colors, mysterious architecture and temperature extremes. A beach culture it’s not.
A test of whether a particular tourism logo is right for the place is to surround it with photographs of local geographic landmarks, indigenous art and architecture, and daily life. If the logo feels like it doesn’t belong, it probably doesn’t. A logo can’t encompass every aspect of a culture, but it has to feel true to it. It has to make tourists want to go there because they can’t enjoy the same experience anywhere else.
Interesting thoughts. I especially agree with the inordinate use of bright tropical colors. Where relevant, it would be refreshing to see some countries make a bolder commitment to a more limited palette!
When judging country brands, I’ve found one additional aspect worth considering is who the country is marketing themselves to. If the country is appealing to regional travelers or is in a highly competitive region, the brandmark may more specifically reflect the country’s unique cultural or natural differences. Then again, if the country appeals to a different niche than the surrounding countries it can sell a wider idea like “fun and sun.” (For example, some countries market to their former colonists and/or trade partners due to shared cultural and language aspects, and well-established flights/transport routes.) And it seems more and more, countries are finding the need for a flexible identity that compliments their investment and trade/export brands, and can market different tourism campaigns to different regions/audiences under the same overarching brand strategy.