The connection between graphics of a logo and the brand image of its business is the most strong and we’ve discussed it many times in our previous posts. This one will highlight how a logo design is linked to the culture of the country an organization belongs to, and more specifically why should a logo relate to the culture of that country where the organization is located?

It is important that an organization keeps the norms and values of all the different countries (especially, where it has its offices) in mind while designing its logo, because this will affect the brand image. It isn’t possible neither advisable to design separate logo for each country. With different logos, it will be difficult for global organizations to create a perfect identity; therefore, there should be one logo and it should be aligned with the values of different nations in order to make its survival easier in the industry.

Your logo should not, in any way, be held contradictory to the norms of any nation across the globe especially in countries where you have your sub-offices.  This could make it difficult or even impossible for you to capture a good position in those countries.  There are several examples where organizations had to change names of their brands or their logos in order to align with the culture of another country.

But, there are certain categories of logo designs for which it is extremely important or somewhat mandatory to highlight the cultural colours of the respective country in the logo. A very sound example is of sports events logo designs; they change every year and change according to the will of the host country. Here, i have used ‘will’ because they align it with their culture and make colours of their country prominent in the logo.

Now, the question arises why is it important to align the logo of a sports event with the culture of the host country? It is important because it:

Promotes the Country across the Globe

When world class sports events are hosted by any country; it is not only a matter of pride for them but a lucrative opportunity to boost their economy. The revenue of the event is one way to get the boost, while the other is by promoting a high image of the country across the globe. One important tool for creating this image is the logo design of the sports event.

Let’s have a look at different logos of two major sports events: FIFA World Cup and Cricket World Cup. This will help you understand the importance of aligning logo with the culture:

FIFA WORLD CUP 2010
FIFA World Cup 2010 took place in Africa, a continent that has great passion for the game of soccer. The logo was aligned with the culture of the nation. Africans are known for their warmth, friendliness and humanity; this served as the inspiration for the slogan of the event: “Ke Nako,” Celebrate Africa’s Humanity.

The colours of the logo were related to the colours of the African flag. The image of a person kicking the football was an inspiration from Khoi-San paintings that is an important part of Africa’s history.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2006

FIFA World Cup 2006 took place in Germany. The organizing committee used the event as an opportunity to portray a friendlier image of Germany to the world; hence, the logo and the slogan referred to the philosophy of having a cheerful and amusing tournament.

The three happy faces in the logo forming “006” were meant to welcome the world to a party for the 2006 world cup. The logo and slogan ‘Friends invite the world’ were aimed at sending the message across that Germany will be a welcoming host for the event.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2002

FIFA World cup 2002 was hosted by two Asian countries – Korea and Japan. The logo of FIFA World Cup 2002 perfectly reflects the cultural colours of both the countries. It was built on the artistic traditions of Korea and Japan: asymmetry, dynamism and harmony. The circle in the logo was derived from Asian culture, which they use for sun, the world and the universe.

The two zeros in ‘2002’ were made to symbolize the unity of the two nations hosting the event (Korea and Japan). The font used for writing Korea and Japan in the logo was also derived from traditional Asian typeface.

CRICKET WORLD CUP 2011

2011 World Cup was hosted by three Asian countries: India, Bangladesh and Sir Lanka. The logo was in the shape of a cricket ball representing the crowd cheering for cricket. The theme of the event was ‘Celebration of Cricket,’ and the logo was completely aligned with the theme. The patterns in the logo were derived from traditional artistic lines of Asia.

CRICKET WORLD CUP 2007

The logo of Cricket World Cup 2007 was aligned with the culture of West Indies as the event took place in that country. The man in the logo was coloured maroon, which is a representative colour of West Indies; the body posture of the man seems like he is dancing and this again relates to the culture of West Indies. The palm tree and blue background represents sea, as West Indies is famous for its palm trees and it comprises of thousands of islands. Hence, the complete logo is a representation of the host country and its culture.

CRICKET WORLD CUP 2003

Cricket World Cup 2003 took place in Africa. The zebra pattern in the logo was used to represent black and white people of Africa and stood for its cultural diversity. Zebra was also used as mascot for the event.