Hey Mktsoc-ers, dobry den! (That is, "good day" in Czech.)
During the fall semester, The Marketing Society in Prague organized an event for students abroad. The event,
Branding in the Ocean of Emotion, featured a talk and exhibition tour by Jiwon Shin, the design mind behind iconic logo such as Samsung, UPS, and Marriott. Jiwon spoke to students about how a great brand identity evokes emotion in people, walked through the design process, and explained the meaning behind some of her best work.
My favorite of her work is Amtrak's brand identity: the logo clearly features rail tracks but it also has movement. Jiwon was inspired by the idea of a magic carpet-- a vehicle that takes you where you want to go.
In addition, Jiwon spoke more in-depth about her work for ETA, UPS, and Halada City. We all know of UPS, but ETA and Halada City are Czech brands so it was very interesting
to hear the thinking behind those works. In particular, ETA's brand revival features a modern cursive lettering to appeal to the new generation and to cleverly guide foreigners to pronounce the brand name as "eh-ta" rather than "E. T. A." (To give a bit of history, ETA was the sole producer of small household appliances during the communist period. Czechs related the brand to that period and perceived the brand as old.)
Jiwon also guided us through the joint-exhibition she was part of,
Connecting: New York, Prague, Seoul. The exhibition strives to connect different cultures through design. A neat feature was the inclusion of Korean designer neckties inspired by a New York artist's work and a Korean Soju set created by a Czech glass designer. What's more, the exhibition will move to NYC next year so be on the lookout!
The event gave a great look behind the research, brainstorming, and work behind creating a brand identity and nicely provided some insight into branding in the Czech Republic. Check out some pictures of the event below!
Much love from Prague,
Bonnie
International Liaison -- Prague, Fall 2010
