Almost magically, symbols appear when least expected: painted upon the tiles of a public plaza or tattooed in the most intimate of places—symbols appear in our lives out of nowhere and without cause.

Because of this mythic quality, and beyond all intensions, symbols have power:

In one regard, symbols have the power to deceive, tricking us into believing that which they represent is actually present or real.

They trick us when we believe that whoever wears the symbol embodies that image, that is to say, we believe that the symbol and the person are one in the same.

They trick us when the images present in the symbol transport us to faraway cultures, to special moments or sensations that wouldn’t normally correspond to our lives. What’s more, they trick us when the symbol represented moves us emotionally, bringing us hope or happiness; meanwhile, that which or who displays the symbol is indifferent to the effects the symbol has upon us.

Furthermore, we are tricked when these images make us think about something that never crossed our minds previously, but due to their influence, now enters our present thoughts.

In conclusion, we are tricked by symbols when we believe in them.

Beyond the deception, symbols posses yet another power: they give form to that which has none, making concrete what was once just sensations, ideals, intuitions, beliefs and values. For example: What would the Republic be without the face of youth to represent it, the Olympics without its rings, the Catholic Church without its cross or the Hippie movement without its peace symbol?

Likewise, symbols have the power to help define that which is and is not, from the moment they enter the world, comparisons are instantaneously born. Why we see a specific symbol as big or small, rudimentary or elegant, mystical or earthly has everything to do with its relation to other symbols, other contexts and other emotions.

That said, are symbols bad? Perhaps, or maybe it’s just that our life experiences can only be expressed through symbols, and thus, through these symbols alone can the meaning of life be sought and defined.

© Sebastian Guerrini, 2010

The interest and the dedication that the national states have been entrusted with in the design of the message of the banknote would be understood as part of a regimen of knowledge. In this sense, the banknote is working to value and reject some objects to control the parameters of knowledge, fixing the meaning of the experiences of the individual human subject and framing the social reality in a certain way as an ideological activity.

In that way, there is always a story in any national banknote. Printed on a white sheet of paper, there is a tale expressed by images and text, “a rebus or pictorial puzzle” (Freud, 2003: 9), that makes the difference between white paper and paper money. Accordingly, behind the monetary credibility there is a message. However, the prominence of this message, of this kind of tale, would usually be present when a new story would be issued by the printing of another series of banknotes. Thus, the tale could only last a while. The awakened narrative that the bill shows would unavoidably fall into silence from the moment that it could be integrated into the everyday life of the people, as another cultural object of the social group.

Perhaps only the child would pay attention to the meaning of the image because in order to become subjects and to be able to refer to him/herself in the social world, the child should acquire all the pre-existing means of signification (Freud, 1910), and one of these is the institutional one. For him/her, the banknote would be learned as one introductory medium of the national embodiment. Then, for a child a banknote would be part of his/her significant environment, and he/she would be visually in touch with the institutional message of the note, and thus incorporate some discourses into his/her system of meaning.

In fact the message would be kept hidden most of the time, underneath the concrete “exchange value of the token” (Gallie, 1952: 21). Even though the banknote is handed from one hand to another, the exchange value is the reason for its existence, and the reason for its power. These contradictions of the importance and the non-importance of the printed story are where the discourse of paper money is sustained.

But a banknote is not a book, a film or a song but it has a chain of symbols like musical notes, which are written on both sides of the paper. Furthermore, they also compose a kind of symphony on the totality of the picture with content and rhythm. That content often provides crucial information in the message and the rhythm provides a dynamic that visualizes the story.

As has been mentioned, even though the banknote is not exactly a book or a film because the scene on the note is frozen and the character cannot move in space and time, it has the same multiplicity and a similar form of working. In the bank note, there is a static narrative which plays with the before and after of what we know about the symbols. As a transitional door it plays with the projection of what we infer could happen and what actually happened. In the example of the banknotes, the frozen image is always the same, but the movement in time and space, cause and effect, runs in our minds.

In a Lacanian sense, these information, these tale that the banknote is carrying on, these are the key signifiers, which act to seal the meaning to the participant’s sign use. The registers become sealed in a political (and cultural) discourse. 

Being conscious that an image triggers a potentially infinite chain of associations, the rhythm of how the composition is read of any image could constrain the openness of interpretation. In this way, the image of any banknote links one symbol to another, trying to control what could be interpreted as a whole and a definition of a hegemonic situation.

In this way, the image carries a certain myth which is a social constructed one, and places oppositions (like the savage-civilised one) (Hall, 1997) and naturalizes history.  Thus, the myth (like the one printed in a note) also contributes to the forgetting of the defeated party because there is always a mainstream idea in the interpretation of history.

Furthermore, the hegemonic dominant ideology of the dominant social groups is present in the printed myth of a banknote, which would mean that the message would be spread among all the Argentineans, more specifically located in their pockets.

As a balance, a banknote can support the essential myths of a nation. Then, printed on its surface those myths are giving shape to the sentiments that people are depositing in their nation. In this way, it is important to emphasize the following sentiments. First, the banknotes articulate the logic of property, by being the medium from where this logic is expressed. Thus, banknotes are the material token from which the state is translating value of thought.

Second, the banknote supports national myths, and those myths are embodying what joins society together, the will or the joy of being part of that group. In this sense, those myths make people remember the social practices, while the national myths are nothing more than the way in which the subjects of a given community organize themselves.

Third, banknotes also awaken spiritual sentiments, in fact all banknotes’ credibility depend on the belief that this printed piece of paper is what it says it values, and the reason why one can believe that is not only rational but also a question of faith in the state.

Fourth, banknotes are part of the organizational dimension of the national sentiments, because a banknote gives the person something to hold on to, a representation of the national organization. Such a principle of organization underlies social and commercial relations, structuring the social existence possible.

Finally, the visual symbols are the visual actors and background of the national narratives, the local heroes and the muses, the time and the space, all disputing the imagination of the society.

©Sebastian Guerrini, 2009

The brand, the image and the label act as a promise, a promise that within the box we will find what we seek. However, one does not seek just one thing: you do not really want to buy a suit, not even a commodity like wheat grains, but the desire to acquire an specific suit and wheat in order to feel satisfied. Here is where the representative of the product, the company, takes form through the brand image, because from here it is embodied and exercises its influence. Do I want any suit or the one that makes me feel good personally and socially? Do I want any wheat or the one that guarantees me quality and gives me confidence in the person who sells it? That is why we do not just look for and buy things. We look for and buy things with stories attached to them.

As such, every brand is an image, and every picture tells a story, one that is only developed in the imagination of those who think and feel the brand. There, the story frames a cause and effect, i.e., exerts a phenomenon of anticipation on the part of who it is representing, where it projects something that they consider will happen when you consume that brand.

For example, an outdated and old fashioned brand of clothing may awaken various emotions in the person who imagines it: some imagine using old and out of fashion clothes, as is the feeling of walking in a modern world wearing clothing from the past and so to be seen and evaluated by the world as one that belongs to the past. Another is the story of someone who buys clothes for its price and that brand could embody a good deal.

In this way, this or any other story will categories the brand starting with existing associations and prejudices. Because from this classification, the person will assess their strengths, differentiate the brand from others and will define it in particular. Also, the person will associate the brand with issues that don’t seem to relate to the company, such as physical sensations and emotions, childhood memories or other bodies. These can also include memories of people who had used similar brands as well as memories of shapes and objects that may belong to other scenarios of life, yet still share with the brand a certain rhythm or shared history.

Moreover, the history of the brand will be categorized by prejudices such as those related to the country of origin of that brand, about the business of the corporation itself, of those working in it, about the social intentions and environmental impact of such enterprises, i.e. about the imagined or real history of the company.

In conclusion, we can think that a corporate brand is a connection point between what a person looks for and what the company can give. Thus the label, the brand image, is the intermediary of the relationship between the consumer and the product because it functions as a door that opens or closes this potential relationship.
Therefore, all this makes us think that what we see through the story of the brand tells us not just the history of the company or product but makes us see ourselves acting in a possible future history.

Finally, we could consider that the trick of branding is not just working on what’s inside the box, but on the label that identifies the box from other boxes.

© Sebastián Guerrini, 2010

Brands act as a kind of mediator between products and consumers. However, for a brand to be an effective intermediary, it must contain certain virtues:

Like a lover, a brand must have the capacity to seduce and the virtue to make itself memorable, distinguishable and classifiable as the ideal, only by establishing itself as such will the indicated consumer commit to his or her brand, returning again and again to the chosen brand, seeking to relive the experiences associated with that particular brand.

Moreover, the brand must have the ability to involve itself directly in the life of its beloved, that is to say, it must play whichever role necessary in order to establish itself within the intimate life of its consumer; how he or she lives, understands and imagines his or her existence. Only in this way can a brand create an authentic relationship.  

Also, a brand must make itself seen and understood; it must be able to express itself well enough to evoke for the consumer that which it promises to be, enveloping the consumer with all the reasons why he or she should select the brand. These reasons should be concrete, drawing on the emotions and rational of the consumer and forming connections between itself and its public´s most intimate desires and fantasies.

For these reasons, if a brand wishes to achieve greatness it must act assertively, employing the following tactics:

. The brand must show and promote that which it has, all of its best virtues, so that these are rightfully valued.

. The brand must insinuate that which it is and that which it could be. The brand must be able to take the consumer to places only dreamed of, such as those places where one finds true love.

. The brands beauty must be verbalized, understood and transmited, in this way, its popularity may reach its full potential

. The brand must be able to sustain the initial magic of the loveaffair, even once the curtain drops and the brand´s once mysterious box is opened to reveal its contents—the consumer must be able to experiment with the brand and find new ways to fall in love with it.

. Lastly, if one day the brand chooses to marry itself to one consumer, it must do so with great caution; the risk runs that such a sense of loyalty to one consumer may cause all the others to distance themselves from the brand.

Nevertheless, in order to achieve such aims, the challenge remains that the brand is limited to express ttsself uniquely through symbols—gestures and images that tell a story—a story that must move and gratify its beloved consumers, taking those to unforgetable places, moments and situations.  The ideal being, that this brand love-potion will make the life of the bewitched consumer all the more beautiful.

© Sebastián Guerrini, 2010

The  visual identity I designed for Livigo consists of the name and a symbol. The name is represented with small caps typeface, which is pleasing to the eye and modern. The symbol speaks of the connection between the parts, reinforcing the articulation of LIVIGO through a soft and warm figure. This is created through a figure that links the two points of the “i”s in “LIVIGO”.

The significance of the figure that unites the points remits an idea which could be that of either an airplane or of a whale leaping from the water. The combination of both ideas provides LIVIGO a relationship with the subject of Air-miles without being associated solely with aircrafts. For this reason the airplane has been distorted to the point of being only be a gesture.

Furthermore, the resemblance to the whale in a state of freedom gives the brand an air of freshness, energy and spontaneity that is considered necessary to motivate the user to make “the leap to participate.”

This image contains the basis of future advertising given that it will be able to distinguish the brand, thus converting it into a message that explains LIVIGO. For example, an animation could be created that reconstructs the journey that LIVIGO makes joining two given points.

The slogan

Given the complexity of the service offered by LIVIGO, it was considered necessary to include in the design of identity a slogan to complement the logo. This slogan helps to delimit and manage the significance of the brand with regard to the specific area of action. Thus, the slogan “Bring your rewards to life” was proposed.

©Sebastian Guerrini, 2009

The elected name associates the group with the word compromise. This word directly refers to a support base for any voluntary participation in the pursuit of transforming and improving the social conditions of life. At the same time, the addition of “Two Point Zero,” indicates succinctly the group’s specific investment in new technologies, based upon the awarding and valuing of those technological developments impacting the communities. 

As for the image, it integrates in one symbol the idea of action and volunteerism that the activity suggests: the hand as a screen and a means of action and communication. 
Sebastián Guerrini

An interview by Rebrand Tasmania, given regarding the identity representation of the island.

An International Perspective from

Place Branding Expert Sebastian Guerrini

Having tapped into a rich mix of local viewpoints, we thought it was time to hear what an identity designer with a true outsiders perspective had to say about the Tasmanian brand.

Firstly, how would you describe your understanding and knowledge of the island of Tasmania?

I have to admit that my first contact with Tasmania came from the Tasmanian Devil cartoon when I was a child. Then I met people from Tasmania during my travels, who taught me more about the islands.

As an international designer that is heavily involved in place branding, what does the current Tasmanian State Government brand communicate to you about our state?

www.discovertasmania.com, www.iris.tas.gov.au and www.tas.gov.au show me different things. While “Discover” represents the strength of the landscape and nature, TAS and Iris portray through their pages, a cold and neutral atmosphere, giving the feeling of an unfriendly and bureaucratic Tasmania. With respect to the logos, Discover is synthesized by a dynamic and modern symbol but if the reader is not familiar with the figure, the shape of the island, it fails to convey any meaning. In my view, this form does not effectively convey either a smile or an island. Meanwhile, the Tasmanian brand present in TAS, is friendly and nice but maybe a little outdated, failing to seduce from its graphics or setting clear attributes in the current context. This is due to it representing nature but from a graphic piece that would be more fitting for a zoo, and which consequently fails to awaken the magic force, strength or mystery of Tasmania that could be conveyed.

In conclusion, I believe that the way Tasmania is represented places the archipelago in a limited and hesitant role, which is not able to structure an image that contains and projects to the viewer the energy that a place like Tasmania has. All of this is within a particular scenario, whereby the brands of Australia and New Zealand do manage to convey great energy.

Which cities/states/nations worldwide do you believe have branded themselves particularly well and why?

We must first define what a well carried out branding project is. Second what we mean by brand, if we just mean the design of a symbol or if we are referring to the politics of image and effective communication.

Barcelona, since the Olympics, when they developed an image policy, has sustained a strong image over time through good design, good strategy and good communications. It works steadily and is open to amendments. Thus, these symbols have helped anchor concrete actions leading to direct benefits for the city, that is to say that the symbol was never dissociated from its meaning.

Another interesting case is that of Brazil, which works its brand in an integrated way involving the different areas of the nation.

Finally, I liked the work done in Germany about changing the black from its flag for the European blue. Rather than something that failed, it provoked a series of discussions that made the brand successful despite its supposed failure.

Through your PHD research, did you uncover strong connections between the ideas of identity employed in state branding and the real individual understanding of national identity? I.e. Do you think place branding is a very powerful tool when used correctly?

Yes, I understand that if the brands of origin gather the best of life in common, they can help that community realize some shared positive values. To do so, these communities should look for and use selectively the symbols that bind and do not divide. Such symbols should integrate, not exclude, arouse optimism and motivate those related to it to think about the common good. 

However, for this ideal scenario, it is necessary that the story that the brand transmits, to be representative of the community. Otherwise, you run the risk of distorting reality, which can cause a boomerang effect for the job. 



In my PhD research, I argued that national identities are arbitrary constructions that are installed by their States, States which are led by hegemonic groups. These States project symbolic fiction through stories that are absorbed mainly by schoolchildren, communities and families. This, in turn, helps structure a common vision of what the Nation is. The media used by the State are, among others, textbooks, the flag, coat of arms, monuments, banknotes, stamps, propaganda, public architecture, uniforms and also the brands of origin.

Regarding the comparison with New Zealand, I would recommend Tasmania to take a look at itself. I think the most important part of this work is to be clear what the specific objectives for the brand are and in what time period. The content of this research is essential to assess any further action, because this content is measurable, strategic and can ensure that an investment made by Tasmania bears fruit. 



It is therefore important to understand that these brands are important not only for tourism, exportation or for political credibility, but for people who build day by day the present and future of the islands. The children of the island, whether they like it or not, need references about where they stand and how their society is constituted. Otherwise anomie will be left for them as the only reference.

Tasmania as a destination is often compared to NZ, who are often described as leading the way in how they brand and market their clean/green image internationally (see http://www.newzealand.com). From an international perspective how would you compare the image you have of New Zealand vs Tasmania?

New Zealand is the force of nature tamed and bounded within a geographical and thematic space, and in line with this we might recall the image they convey through the All Blacks, with all their tattoos and expressions. Tasmania appears to be nature in its purest form, i.e. it seems to be perhaps the most neglected and hidden place in the world. For a foreigner it is hard to imagine that there is a population and activities there, which, depending on the needs of Tasmania, can help you install different interpretations that pique the interest of viewers.

Do you know of any other examples where a place brand has been developed by the people, via an open online discussion?

With regard to methodology, I think you first have to see what you are looking to create from the brand. The public effect seeks to make the viewer the modifier or reinforcer of what Tasmania means, thus ensuring that their definitions and attitudes about the archipelago are consistent with the strategy set. If we accept this, the debate itself might have a positive effect that the brand, before birth, brings to its people. 



Second, I believe that the greatest difficulty that a job like this has is not to achieve the design of a beautiful symbol, but to reach consensus among all stakeholders towards a shared horizon. These parties are the online communities and even business groups and the parliament, since what is being discussed is as important as what the Tasmanian model aims for the coming years.


In this regard, if the majority consensus reinforces an accepted axis of action, it will have achieved a breakthrough towards the ideal brand. This consensus can be, for example, that Tasmania aims from their brand just to attract tourists and to be represented solely by its nature or not.

Furthermore, this consensus will help designers and creatives to focus their action on a concrete objective, and that means the evaluation of their work will not be an arbitrary task.

Third, I believe the greatest resource for spreading the brand name of a place is its people. They consist of both residents who travel the world using a T-shirt with the logo of their home, and entrepreneurs that take the brand as their own and place it spontaneously in their advertising and products. This suggests that if the mark is the result of social and political consensus within Tasmania, it will have a greater chance of being adopted by its entire people. I’ve had very rewarding experiences with some projects that I used with this approach and recommend it.

Do you have any other thoughts/comments/ideas about this crowd-sourcing experiment we are conducting?

I would tell you my vision on the subject: a brand of origin tells a story. It is a story that is simply a myth told to those who hear it about what will happen if they are linked with the place that the brand represents. In this way, that story / brand is a promise of results, emotions, experiences and attitudes that will be found in that place. So what the design of these brands does is to tell a good story. This can be achieved only from an abstract gesture that could be complemented by good communication or by an illustrative representation of alleged facts. In this sense, there is no aesthetic determinism, but there is a demand that the message of the brand be understandable, straightforward and clear. Above all these things, it must convey the sense of place and the soul of its people. This will mean that the brand tells a unique story that will endure over time and that will charm from its authenticity.

www.rebrandtasmania.com

If we try to answer what or who we are, we would possibly tell a story that defines us. This would be a story that has, like every story, a title, and that would talk about our origin and development, leaving an open ending on account of us still being alive.

The title would be our name, that would introduce our story and which would be accompanied by our image. Our origin would try to place our birth in a scenario and context: the social group and place that gave us life. This origin would emphasize those who bred or raised us and we would discuss relations with them and other significant people such as brothers or peers.
For the development of the story, we would need to present a series of moments and memories that would organize the chapters.
But there are too many moments in our lives to foreground. For this reason, we would have to highlight only key memories, which would then be valued and magnified. We would also mark the beginning and end of these moments, to make them entities by themselves and to separate them from the continuum of time through which our lives pass.

However, to choose these moments, a criterion for selection would be needed. In order to do this, and to give the story continuity, we would need to find some motivation to justify the causal relationship between these moments. The motivation would somehow guide the journey of our life and mark a certain purpose of our identities.
It should be noted that this something is rarely linear or identifiable. This is because it is difficult for a specific science to be able to show our existential desire in that same manner as a mathematical equation. This is also because in many cases, the motivation is hidden or disguised. But whether we realize it or not, our motivation will become a central point. By this I mean that it is a point to which we will return. It will not disappear nor will we forget it because it is that which marks the main theme of our story.

In order to visualize this, let us take 5 examples of brands: the trauma brand, the success brand, the company brand, the social group brand and the national brand.

First, let us think about the trauma brand: a teenager girl suffers from an attack in which she also receives a cut on her face. From that painful moment on, she feels that her life and her identity begin all over. From that moment she feels she is doomed forever to relive the assault and that instant. From then on, her relations and her reactions to people who cross the street will be conditioned by that memory. Spontaneously, people will be sympathetic to her depending on the similarity of something in a similar context that they have suffered. Even her vision of society, politics and culture will change, given that it was society which allowed such a thing to happen her. Besides, how does the world not change if she does change?

That unfortunate moment will be unique for her above and beyond the thousands of moments that she had lived before, since it is a moment that changed her life.
But why is it that the five minutes of the assault are those which build her new identity? Why is the memory of that moment of being a victim more important than years of happiness? What makes this new identity of the teenage victim beat that of the previous happy teenager? The answer is the brand of that memory.
These are memories that remain and speak of the fragility of life and identities. They are memories that maintain the traces of that brand and mark the identity of the teenage victim in the mirror. In other words, images, whether real or not, represent what she now believes.

In this scenario what is fundamental is that she imagines the causes and effects of what happened. Mainly the interpretation that she will make regards what the society in general will supposedly think of a teenager that went through this kind of experience. In this sense, these marks remind her of her own prejudices about the society.
Those marks will last until their trials, traces and memories disappear or until those interpretations are lost among thousands of memories and when their identity can be further transformed to float without the anchor of this brand.

Secondly, let’s think about the brand of success: a young man has next to his bed on his night table, a set of objects that show his development. They are arbitrary objects such as a trophy, a title or the picture of him receiving the kiss of a beautiful young woman, all of which remind him of the good of their identity.
However, maybe his life hasn’t been so happy. Perhaps for most of his life he has suffered from depression, loneliness, anxiety and feelings of insecurity about himself. But whenever he feels bad, those brands, those objects on his table, encourage him by clinging to the happy things in his life. Every time he sees his table, these objects act as windows through which he remembers the acceptance, applause and joy that their company can offer, multiplying and immortalizing these short successful moments. At the same time the brands that the objects embody will give him the energy to face the future and the dawn of each new day.

Thirdly, let’s think about the brand of the identity of a company and the relationship with one of the employees, someone who works at a fast food restaurant.
There, the visor and yellow shirt of the worker announce and anticipate the identity of a subserviente person, always smiling and willing to accept their mistakes. The yellow brand of his attire allows society to treat him as if his only role in life is to help us and makes us think that the only important person in the restaurant is us. However, if one meets that worker in the street outside their of work environment, the brands of his identity will be different and the new relationship that is built on that street will be by different fate. He is no longer interested in serving food and smiling at us given that his identity has been split apart from the previous one and an identity beyond that of a circumstantial worker has emerged.

Fourth, think about the brands of a collective identity: for example, a group of parents that act in a comic play for their children’s school party. This group of parents before participating in this action did not know each other and the only thing they have in common is the love that each one has for their own children. Now they are in this play together, which serves as a meeting point in their lives. It is one point that marks their relationship, a before and after for each other that builds a small collective identity shared only by them. It is an identity forged in trials, ridicule and funny moments.

The play turns out to be very funny, and beyond the memory that will be made on their children and their little friends, the role and image of the parents will be different. Now other parents who did not know them wave and smile. Now, for a time in this small school community, the parents have a particular identity and will be identified and recognized. Those parents that if in the future are on the way home from school, make a gesture, some brand will remind them of the play and they will laugh recalling the time they were actors and in which they formed a part of that identity. This could be a gesture that others will not understand but which they will.

Fifthly, we can think about importance of brands for our children, since they need to have some records about where they are, which is north and south, which are the places where they can move freely and which are dangerous for them. Also they need certain rules of how to move in society, eg what are their own rights and those of others, because otherwise, anomie will be the only reference left for them.
This, for better or worse, happens with the existence of a nation. We could ask ourselves, “What are museums, printed images on tickets, coats-of-arms, flags and history for?” and “Why are there rituals, ceremonies and anniversaries?” if not so that every child and adult in a given location does not forget the existence of their nation.

In these five examples we have seen the personal and social importance of brands in the fixing of memories. Brands are important because they give us energy. There are brands that define us in an activity and inform society about what to expect from us. There are brands that join, that make us belong, that differentiate a human group among others. There are brands which question, which require taking sides with a company or nation. There are good brands and bad.
There are brands which are images and objects that make up our origin. Other brands set attributes, stories and feelings. Other brands may be structural because they bring to light interpretations and definitions of the sense of being of things. Others let us say where we are and what we want in our lives. There are also brands that sustain identities.

This leads us to conclude three things: Firstly, that the identities require a certain motivation and that this leads us to synthesize, link and mark the moments of life, striving to build a story. Secondly, that identities and motivations depend on their brands to stand. Thirdly, that the meaning of identities and brands is in constant interaction between one and society.
Finally, we also see that the work of those who design identities not only relates to matters of form and color, but mainly to tell stories through the brands of life in common.

© Sebastián Guerrini, 2009

In the first case, a reference axis is required to arrange the identity. For this there are several possibilities. The most traditional one supports the idea of the existence of common ancestors among the inhabitants, thus connecting the nation with the fatherland and the idea of the homeland.  

There are other axes too, for example, there are cases where religions organize national identities, cases in which a shared language and space has helped to create nationalities and even cases where class consciousness or where the social pride of owning a successful manufacturing process are used. There are also cases where a law, constitution or objective accepted by the majority is a reference of the national identity.  

The problem with this approach is that it fragments a nationality to think of itself only from fixed axes such as race, religion, language, etc. These axes inevitably lead to conflict as they are unlikely to include the whole of society and as such make some love and others hate.  
Thus, historically, groups of people have been left out of national identity, classified as little more than ghosts or outcasts from the system this model generates. The problem with this scheme is that it is difficult to find a clear common denominator or history between the different sectors of any national community.  

There is, however, another way of thinking about citizenship which successfully unites the different identities of the inhabitants of a nation.  

To assess this option it is first necessary to rethink the idea of identity and accept that we all owners of distinct identities and not just objects of the aforementioned national axes.

In addition to belonging to a nation or a political party, one is part of a genre, a generation, a biological or emotional family, a neighborhood or town, a club, a religion or a group does not believe in religion. Furthermore, one even owns multiple desires, interests and other parallel activities. As such, a person is a part of a group of people who have certain common features among all the possible features that can be used to define them, not only as political beings but as human beings.  
 
By widening the classification of the inhabitants of a nation we can see that the important thing is not a nationality in itself, but the cords that are woven together and how they relate different aspects of life. As they connect and are layered, the separate identities form a social fabric which is inclusive and integrative, and it is this which gives a practical meaning to national identity and a life in common. 

©Sebastian Guerrini, 2009

This brand won the first prize in the competition.

The brand

In this scheme, the visual brand portrays the effervescence of Argentina from the dynamism of a culture whose distinctives traits are pursuit, diversity, the sum of relations, ransparencies and lively articulation of identities. This is translated into a constant and colorful proliferation of new expressions.

The brand depicts the concept of Argentina as a culture in motion. This concept is expressed as much through the slogan chosen as its visual symbol. The symbol performs an active interpretation of its culture, thinking of the national flag as a dynamic space for creation and production.

This effervescence comes from a national space but it also travels and projects outside its own space. Thus, the brand portrays this movement of the pursuit of the Argentines, marking the alchemical moment of the creation of their cultural expressions. This creation is sometimes contradictory, but unique.

The graphic referents

Color and purity of form of the symbol are the elements of greatest impact on all aspects of the identificatory brand. For this reason the rest of the elements involved seek to complement and contain the impressions of this picture, leading the general perception of the viewer towards a position understood as ideal. Thus, the slogan of the old typography brings to the body a certain classic component and the complimentary German typography brings other present components. These graphic resources may be ranked by certain parts and communicative contexts, without disrupting the main body.

©Sebastian Guerrini, 2009