Systematic creation of a city’s visual communication: logo design based on the phoenix flower in Tainan City,Taiwan

Abstract

This study considers the urban branding of Tainan City, Taiwan. It explores how the city’s image continues its historical cultural milieu through the creation of a visual identity from the phoenix flower. The study analyzes a selection of logos used by organizations in the city, and the semiotic significance of organizational logos. From a sample of 67 logos, the form and content of the visual symbols are interpreted via morphological, content, and semiotic analyses. The logos are also categorized based on the following design features: pervasive symbols, cultural elements, typeface design, industrial embodiment, human body, decorative aids, and graphic design enhancement. Research indicates that Tainan uses the phoenix flower shape for design expression in logos, but because of a lack of uniformity in design norms, the logos are inconsistent. Therefore, standardization of the phoenix flower design used within the city environment would assist the Tainan city branding.

Keywords

city image logo design phoenix flower systematic creation urban branding visual identity

1. Introduction

A city encompasses citizens and space, and conveys culture, and the appearance of a city evolves with its people. The impression that a city makes reflects the lifestyles of its citizens and its organic urban consciousness. For example, Macau uses the lotus flower to symbolize its city. Although the lotus flower has less association with productivity, it signifies that the lotus flower produces the most beautiful flower, even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters. This image symbolizes that sacredness and harmony. Thus, Macau is also called the blessed place of the lotus flower. The book City Building: Nine Planning Principles for the Twenty-First Century (Kriken et al., 2010) highlights the relationship between urban image identity and a city’s natural resources. When cities lack abundant natural resources, the urban landscape itself provides a source for place branding. A city’s image can be enhanced through the creation of a unique and memorable sense of place. A full city image concept, similar to the concept of corporate identity, should holistically include concepts of urban development, urban planning design, and urban image design. Identity is not only the core concept of product branding but it also expresses the core concepts of local uniqueness. Identity can be embodied in a logo, a slogan, packaging, and product design (Spio, 2011).

Logos can represent companies, services, or concepts, and symbols¹ are the graphical component of a logo (Adams, 2008). As pointed out in their study of the corporate image of internal management, Simões et al. (2005) demonstrate that a unified visual identity must be created and used to express brand and image consistency. Nowadays, the brand, as a management concept, has begun to transition out of the business environment it was born into and begun to influence public and spatial backgrounds through the evolution of ‘local brands’ (Giovanardi et al., 2013). Paliaga et al. (2010) have shown that the promotion of an urban brand can provide a unique identity and image for any city, allowing that city to be clearly identified and creating value as part of overall local development. Pasquinelli (2017) explores the development of the urban brand, thinking that it serves as the key element of how to shape the attraction of a city. As he contends, the shaping of an urban image can be an important task that the urban image has to tackle.

A city evokes a distinct image through a variety of visual elements or design themes that create its unique ‘urban theme’. In fact, an urban theme is the core of city image design around which one creates a unique shape of identification, and standardization symbolizes and signifies the substance and environment of urban visual material, emerging as the bridge between integrated construction of a city and society’s public mind and visual communication. Barthes (1977) claimed that images convey cultural messages in addition to their perceptual messages. The essence of urban culture is embodied in the concentrated image of a city, which is a typical cultural symbolic text. Urban culture and the image of a city can be explored from the perspective of symbolic features and cultural connotations, out of which the deep structure of an urban culture and the symbolic meaning of a city’s image can be elucidated.

Juvancic and Verovsek (2018: 67) take a visual perspective; if the theme of a city can be captured visually, this empowers people to produce profound impressions of a city. One way of explicitly doing so is to develop a local brand, which typically consists of a significant symbol, a logo, or the creative graphic representation of a city’s name, images that readily identify and distinguish a place, consolidating and strengthening tourists’ emotional connection to the locality (Blain et al., 2005). In addition, we have to consider that the visual language employed that helps public understanding and memory shaping may regard the logo’s semiotic language as a means of communication (Llorente-Barroso and García-García, 2015). This study concerns Taiwan, which is relatively small in terms of geographical area (36,197 km²). Western nations’ understanding of Taiwan may partly derive from impressions of digital technology ‘made in Taiwan’. In recent years, Taiwan has attempted to shape the image of its cities through sightseeing tourism and has successively launched the ‘Visit Taiwan Year (2004)’ and ‘Tour Taiwan Year (2008–2009)’, along with similar policy plans, in the hope of attracting more international tourists and creating a ‘green’ economy distinct from the technology industry. Taiwan believes tourism is an environment-friendly industry and, through tourism, the urban history of Taiwan’s cultural heritage can be experienced.

During Japanese colonial rule over Taiwan (1895–1945), Tainan was known as the ‘prefectural city’, and it is the island’s earliest developed city. In modern times, the city has been influenced by Japanese culture, creating a Chinese-style urban environment mixed with Japanese aesthetics. The city contains examples of European architectural styles, including neoclassical and Baroque. The streets and lanes are laid out in a manner similar to those in Japan, and many roads are lined with trees (Figure 1), and look like those in Kyoto.

Figure 1.

In the 1930s, during the Japanese colonial period, phoenix (flame) trees were planted on either side of Tainan’s Taishō Road.

With its well-preserved and rich historical background, the development strategy for Tainan’s urban image is based on this historical context, with the intention of developing urban sightseeing tourism. Tainan creates cultural consumption through historic sites, using the phoenix trees planted during the Japanese colonial period as a city emblem (image logo) and city flower. Tainan is also called ‘Phoenix City’. Images of the phoenix flower are abundant throughout the city (such as on street signs, in gardens located at the center of roundabouts, and on other public facilities), shaping the city’s visual identity. For example, the reproduction and application of the phoenix flower is obviously part of the overall phenomenon of the image and visual communication of Tainan, and it also represents the collective image of the city.

The Tainan City Government logo, with its phoenix flower design, is derived from the school badge of National Cheng Kung University (formerly, the Office of the Taiwan Governor-General Tainan Industrial High School) (School History Compilation Group, 2001: 74; Shi, 1991: 2) (Figures 2a–d). According to Chen (2005), Tokyo Art School’s Oda Sanzou (1883–1967) was commissioned to design the school badge of National Cheng Kung University, which was first used in 1932. The contours of the school badge are that of a phoenix flower, a common design element in Tainan, and it very much resembles a traditional Japanese coat of arms. The Tainan City Government logo was designed in 1969 and was not officially announced or displayed until 1978, when it was adopted by the Tainan City Council.

Figure 2.

The origins of Tainan City Government’s logo: (a) the school badge of Tainan Industrial High School during Japanese colonial rule; (b) the school badge of National Cheng Kung University in 1971; (c) the current school badge of National Cheng Kung University; (d) Tainan City Government’s logo.Sources: (a) and (c): reproduced by kind permission of National Cheng Kung University; (b) © Wang Po Hsun; (d): Tainan City Government.

The shaping of the image of a city embodies not only the expression of a visual identity but also a concept of systematic imagery. By observing this social phenomenon, it seems possible to also understand the phoenix flower’s cultural meaning and connotation, which has long been a brand in the hearts of Tainan’s citizens and visitors. Therefore, this study aims to explore the design of Tainan’s logo, survey its current uses, compare and analyze images on various public and private institutions and organizations, describe how the phoenix flower has been used as a design theme and note changes to its morphological characteristics, and examine how the phoenix flower is used as a symbol by various city institutions. The ultimate goal is to propose a more appropriate design approach and offer suggestions for the arrangement of visual elements that offer a more unified approach to the use of the flower symbol through a homogeneous visual system and a systematic creation of design theme. This theme can be extended, communicate a common image and create diverse and yet thematically consistent future designs. This study also provides practical recommendations for the application of a cohesive city logo design.

2. A Review of the Design of the City’s Images and Visual Symbols

The visual image of a city is often based on an exploration of the city’s unique cultural context, and visual imagery based on an urban culture can create a distinctive urban brand. Iu (2002: 35) claimed that the composition of an urban image is the integration, refinement, generalization and abstract symbolization of physical things. Thus, it is important to note that the object can either be conceptualized as an abstract idea or as a physical consciousness stored in one’s memory. Designers typically utilize three methods for the creation of an image (Chou, 2007: 187–189). The first method is refinement: taking the image of a physical object in the world, and processing and deepening that image to yield a more focused and stylized form. For example, the Tainan City Government logo (Figure 2d) uses an image of the phoenix flower (Figure 3a) and transforms the petal features into a more abstract graphic representation. The second method is expansion and multiplication: the object is directly described and deployed, and a variety of visual images are developed from one type of object, while maintaining the basic features and main symbols of the original form, as in the logos of Tainan’s Environmental Protection Bureau (Figure 3b) and its Public Health Bureau (Figure 3c), which continue the key basic graphic component of the phoenix flower of the Tainan City Government logo. The third method is variation: with no limitations, the existing image is deconstructed and combined with other elements to create a new image, such as the logo of the Tainan City Police Department (Figure 3d), which combines the themes of the peace dove and the phoenix flower.

Figure 3.

The communication design of the visual symbols of Tainan City: (a) the flame tree blooms from June to July and is also known as the phoenix flower – the Tainan City Government logo is derived from the typical shape of the phoenix flower; (b) the Environmental Protection Bureau logo; (c) the Public Health Bureau logo; (d) Police Department logo.

These cases help to summarize the design concepts behind visual symbols, imitating the contours of the phoenix flower as a visual image and then transforming this archetype into an abstract representation. Next comes a method of symbolic design, refining the design by retaining certain common features of the original image to create new designs. Thus, when the phoenix flower is translated from a physical object in the environment to a visual representation, the theme reproduced has already turned into an abstract schema of a different degree, that is, as a semiotic representation and signifier.

In a similar vein, Ogden and Richards (1923) proposed a theoretical model they called ‘elements of meaning’ that is equivalent to Saussure’s concept of signifier and signified (Fiske, 1990). However, the elements of meaning are emphasized by the symbolization of the sign. The three peaks of the meaning triangle are: the symbol, the referent and the thought (or reference) (Ogden and Richards, 1923: 11). Although there is a causal relation between the thought and the referent, the relation between symbol and referent can only be built through thought. Thus, both Ogden and Richards (1923) hold that the triangular relations between the sign, the receiver and the referent can be a method of studying ‘meanings’.

This theoretical model allows for a richer interpretation of the outward-extending meaning of reality through symbolic analysis, which yields a more profound understanding of reality. For example, the triangle of reference – referent (object), thought (reference) and symbol – can be applied to reveal the logical structure of an urban brand (Figure 4). The image of this logo contains a tangible object and an intangible meaning, both of which are visual signs in the form of symbols that represent the brand of a city. The concepts behind the design of the Tainan City Government logo can thus be elucidated. It is an image with local cultural characteristics that express the image of a synthetic structure as a fusion or aggregate of a natural form, according to a specific intention, an important method for creating a theme for a city’s brand.

Figure 4.

An analysis of the design of the Tainan City Government logo based on Ogden and Richard’s (1923) theoretical model, ‘elements of meaning’.

3. Methodology

The basic information on the relevant institutions was provided by the Tainan City Government. After preliminary data reclassification, the scope of the study was gradually delimited, and then through screening and determining the source of information, study samples were collected. The authors collected visual symbols (image logos) created by various institutions. Only those designs in which the image of the phoenix flower constituted its basic form were selected for the sample. This resulted in 21 Tainan City government department logos, 14 school logos, 18 industrial and commercial organization logos, 11 community association logos, and 3 business management logos, which made a total of 67 samples (Figure 5).

Figure 5.

Tainan City logos that use the phoenix flower theme (collected by the authors).

We used content analysis and morphological analysis to conduct the visual analysis of the graphic content and configuration by focusing on the combined expression of the institution that uses the phoenix flower logo. This study highlights the content meaning of the logo as a whole, as well as the feature analysis between the shaping structures. The characteristic of this study is to divide the research object into some basic components and then analyze each basic component separately (Lupton and Miller, 1999).

According to Kagan (1972), morphological analysis dialectically reveals all the concrete forms of a selection of objects and their interrelationships, the transition of one form to another, and the characteristics of mutual influence and intersection between these objects. Content analysis of the logos, shown in the study architecture in Figure 6, relies mainly on logos with clear text, such as Chinese characters and/or English words and letters. Images are either referents or references, concrete or abstract. Text and image are integrated in design expression (Wang and Cheng, 2018) and the whole constitutes the component form of the ultimate outer layer of visual sign.

Figure 6.

Architecture of the analytical model used in this study.

According to the analysis structure of Figure 6, the three concepts used in the inner core of Tainan City are: (i) institutional logos, (ii) urban image, and (iii) the visual symbols. Then further analysis is devoted to the discussion of the logo identity and morphological characteristics of these institutional logos. The research also explores whether visual symbols used in this way can be formed as an image perception? In addition, whether visual symbols express current and intuitive meanings through concrete images and an appropriate symbolic form. Moreover, Bergstrom (2008) contends that two aspects make up a sign: form and content. Form is related to the creation and configuration of visual shapes as well as the compound expression between objects and images. Meanwhile, content is related to the meanings represented by different elements as well as ideas and information to be conveyed. This study will explore, through the analytic model depicted in Figure 6, the potential design value and impact of image logos created for Tainan City that use the image of the phoenix flower.

4. Data Analysis and Discussion

4.1 Morphological analysis

The first step in morphological analysis is to extract the basic form of the phoenix flower from the institutional logos in the sample and then analyze its morphological characteristics. Figure 7 depicts a comparison of the photographic image of a phoenix flower and the logo of the Tainan Department of Culture and Tourism. The logo contains all the indicated anatomical parts of a phoenix flower except for the stamen, and although it is a simplification, this logo readily evokes the shape of a phoenix flower. This institutional logo appears to have a tessellated repetitive structure, occurring at the same intervals with a simple sense of regularity and periodicity.

Figure 7.

Comparison of the anatomy of a phoenix flower with its graphic representation.

Hiebert (1998) claimed that when the image of a natural form is developed into a graphic representation, it can be divided into original shape layers. A faithful image or reconstruction fully mimics the characteristics of the form. As shown in Figure 8a, logo No. 53 closely resembles a real phoenix flower, including a small stamen. In the concrete layer, it further simplifies the concrete object, such as the logo shown in No. 65 of Figure 8b, which maintains the original layer but reduces the visual language, presenting a still clearly recognizable but less realistic image than No. 53. It retains the five petals with flag, wing, and keel, and the petal stem features are obvious.

Figure 8.

Morphological analysis of Tainan City institutional logos.

The graphics layer involves a further simplification of the image, reducing the original shape to the most important basic elements. More logos from the sample fit into this category than any other. As shown in Figure 8c, the forms of Nos. 07, 38, 42, 67, 05, 23, and 32 are simplified in reference to the form of the real flower. The No. 01 group, a sizeable proportion of the logos, further simplifies the structure through gradual alterations of the elements. In addition, the circular center of this group of logos displays visual symbols of the institution it represents. The No. 34 group also includes a space at its center for an institutional logo, but the space is larger than that of the No. 01 group. With institutional logos 34, 39, 46, and 48, the logo is superimposed over the image of the flower (Figure 5). Overall, the flower-shaped configurations of Figure 8c are characterized by petal shapes that are generally conical (Nos. 07, 01, etc.), arced (Nos. 40, 66, etc.), and with a rounded tip (Nos. 13, 51, etc.).

Abstract layers, using their own design language, create, through metaphor, analogy, or other more imaginative means, images quite distinct from the original pattern. In Figure 8d, logos 30 and 31 express round or roughly round petal shapes, and the structure of the calyxes is somewhat geometric. However, in Nos. 20, 35, 41, and 56, the petal stems are scarcely apparent at all. Logo 47 departs significantly from the true form of the flower, retaining only petal edge features and adding a streamlined design. Nos. 27 and 28 depart even more radically: there is only the bare outline of the edges of the flower and the relationship between these logos and the real flower has become difficult to identify.

4.2 The meaning of Tainan’s institutional logos

To further explore the creation of Tainan’s urban image, it is also possible to analyze the design techniques of existing institutional logos. Of the institutional logos in the sample, 25 use only images and the remaining 42 combine images and text. These two categories can be further refined by examining other design features in more detail.

4.2.1 Pervasive symbols

The logos of this type combine international organization logos or universal symbols or use logos of superior administrative institutions combined with the phoenix flower. As shown in Figure 5, the core symbol of No. 02 is the Tainan City Government logo. The core symbol of No. 03 is the Environmental Protection Administration logo. The core symbol of No. 04 is a green cross, a symbol of safety and health. The core symbol of No. 05 is the Ministry of Finance logo. The core symbol of No. 06 is a peace dove. The core symbol of Nos. 08 and 46 is the rod of Asclepius with a ‘v’. The core symbol of No. 36 is the Junior Chamber International logo. The core symbol of No. 45 is the caduceus of Hermes (double snake rod). The core symbol of No. 49 is a differently abled person in a wheelchair. The core symbol of Nos. 55 and 56 is a common logo for communities in Taiwan.

Noteworthy among the logos in this category is No. 45, the logo for the Tainan Medical Association, which uses the caduceus (staff) of Hermes. The caduceus is a symbol of commerce and international trade, also known as the double snake rod. A common symbol of health institutions is the rod of Asclepius, also known as the single snake rod. The Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office (No. 08) and the Veterinary Association (No. 46) also use the rod of Asclepius as well as a large ‘v’ to represent veterinarians. Shetty et al. (2014) indicate that there are widespread misconceptions about the caduceus of Hermes, especially the long-held mistaken belief that it represents medical institutions. The Central and Western Community Development Association (No. 55) and the Longshan Community Development Association (No. 56) use the universal logos for communities in Taiwan adopted from an earlier logo. Three triangles are topped by three circles, which is an abstraction of the human form representing the three grammatical persons (I, you, he/she) and symbolizing either humanity or a large number. After analyzing the design techniques of the institution logos, we can understand the visual signification of logos and further clarify the concept of logo design through classification and induction.

4.2.2 Cultural elements

To understand visual symbols of this type of institutional logo, we must first elucidate their cultural background. As shown in Figure 5, the core symbol of No. 05 is spade money, an ancient form of Chinese currency. The auxiliary symbol for No. 07 is a ruyi cloud ornament, a pattern of ornamentation found on Chinese artifacts. The core symbol of No. 09 is an auspicious cloud, also a pattern of ornamentation found on ancient Chinese artifacts. The core symbol of Nos. 22, 23, and 37 is a large bell, an ancient Chinese musical instrument. The core symbol of No. 50 is the tai chi, a symbol of Taoist philosophy and religion. The core symbol of No. 52 is the map of Confucius’s travels. Two academic institutions, National Cheng Kung University (No. 22) and National University of Tainan Honorary Teaching Center (No. 23) depict a large bell (duo), which signifies an ‘excellent teacher’, on their school badges. Moreover, in ancient China, it was often used to announce political or religious decrees or sound warnings. The Analects states that all persons should be exemplary teachers to all ages, just as Confucius was, to awaken confused and apathetic people and achieve the enlightenment of the world. By defining and classifying these institution logos, we can understand how the concept of logo design is demonstrated. Moreover, especially when facing the different kind of institution logos, we have to take more heed of the relationship between certain signs and cultural background.

4.2.3 Typeface design

The logos in this category are designed around a text, including both Chinese and English, which is then combined with a phoenix flower image. As shown in Figure 5, the core symbol of No. 01 is a combination of three Chinese characters for Tainan City superimposed on one another. The core symbol of No. 05 is the combination of the two ancient Chinese seal characters for credit and finance. The core symbol of No. 12 is the combination of the two characters for center and west. The core symbol of No. 34 is a highly stylized representation of the Chinese character an. The core symbol of No. 39 is the combination of the four Chinese characters for Tainan Chinese Medicine. The core symbol of No. 40 is the abbreviation ‘A.D’. The core symbol of No. 62 is the combination of the two Chinese characters for an 安 and min 民 superimposed on the outlines of trees.

The abovementioned design expressions with text as the core symbol are mainly combined into a composite text through a text structure. Other institutional logos use two-character abbreviations. For example, the Central and Western District Office (No. 12) uses the two Chinese characters for central 中 (zhong) and west 西 (xi) in its logo. The design approach is to contain and combine the characters within a pellet structure of an approximate circle at the center of the phoenix flower. The Mortuary Services Office logo (No. 09) is more particular. Cremation is one of the important services provided by mortuaries. The cloud is deliberately designed in the shape of an ‘e’, in part representing that mortuary services has moved into the electronic era.

4.2.4 Industrial embodiment

These institutional logos are usually more visually intuitive. For industries with obvious characteristics and a wide variety of services, this design approach is appropriate. For these logos, the core symbol of the design is the industry. As shown in Figure 5, the core symbol of No. 10 is a book. The core symbol of No. 38 is a printing plate. The core symbol of No. 42 is tea leaves. The core symbols of No. 43 are perming tools and hair. The core symbols of No. 44 are the tools of the hairdresser’s trade. The Food Stall Vendor Professional Association (No. 41) symbolizes its industry with a bowl and chopsticks (and a cog in the background), expressing the intuitive design elements of Taiwanese restaurants. In Taiwan’s older logo designs, cogs are a common design element that embodies industry, such as the logos for the Labor Recreation Center (No. 11) and National Tainan Industrial High School (No. 24).

4.2.5 The human body

The human form or some part of it (especially the hands) is depicted usually in a stylized or abstract manner in logos in this category. As shown in Figure 5, the core symbol of Nos. 09 and 15 are two open palms. The core symbol of Nos. 11, 48, 55, and 56 is people standing side by side, in groups of two, three, or four. The core symbol of Nos. 35 and 60 is two people embracing. The core symbol of No. 49 is a differently abled person in a wheelchair. The core symbol of No. 52 is two people driving a carriage. The core symbol of No. 59 is three people dancing.

The Mortuary Services Office (No. 09) and Southern District Office (No. 15) highlight an abstract depiction of two open palms. The former gesture symbolizes the honor of giving, representing a service-oriented philosophy. The latter holds up the phoenix flower with two hands and serves the function of emphasizing and guiding visual attention and focus. Different gestures for different intentions. The Second Nursery School (No. 35) and the Xinxing Community Development Association (No. 60) both show abstract representations of two people embracing, which also symbolizes surrounding and protection. The Second Nursery School’s image also forms the shape of a heart, appropriately enough for an industry that cares for children. The logo for the Handicapped Welfare Association (No. 48) is more abstract. In the image, four people standing side by side represent differently-abled types and physical conditions.

4.2.6 Decorative aids

This category of logos adds decorative elements that serve to clarify certain connotations of the logo or strengthen the structure and thereby the expression of the traits of the institution. As shown in Figure 5, the auxiliary graphics of Nos. 02 and 58 are rays that emanate beyond and behind the main image of the phoenix flower. The auxiliary graphic of No. 12 is an ellipse. The auxiliary graphic of Nos. 13, 16, and 21 is three chasing arrows. The auxiliary graphic of Nos. 14, 18, and 19 is a ribbon background. The auxiliary graphics of No. 63 are a ribbon, a star, and a heart. The core symbol for the Central and Western Household Registration Office (No. 13), the Southern District Household Registration Office (No. 16), and the Annan District Household Registration Office (No. 21) are all essentially the same, and the logos for the Eastern District Household Registration Office (No. 14), the Northern District Household Registration Office (No. 18), and the Anping District Household Registration Office (No. 19) are essentially the same. The difference between these two sets of logos for these parallel institutions is that the former logos use the three-chasing-arrows graphic to symbolize its emphasis on efficiency, friendliness, and service.

5. Visually Amending Tainan’s Institutional Logos

Investigation and analysis of the institutional logos in Tainan indicates that there is a design expression centered around the phoenix flower that could be implemented to create a uniform city brand. If we regard the Tainan City Government logo as the archetypes, it should be possible to follow the structure and form of this logo to standardize the other institutional logos and other new ones that may arise subsequently. According to the theory of archetypes, an archetypes style can be understood as the creation of a common theme and a typical form (Lidwell et al., 2010). Cheng and Hu (2009: 118) advocate the use of a simulation design method, which is the systematic mimicry of the behavior of another system. These two concepts are similar in many respects; it could be said that the former is the model of the latter. Simulation design method employs analogy, taking certain objects or processes and formulating representations, properties, laws, and features of archetypes or patterns, and designs by means of similarities and correlations (Wang, 2014).

Thus the collective, conscious use of the phoenix flower as a design theme by Tainan’s various institutions suggests amending the design of many logos to create greater uniformity. To begin with, we may think of the most basic identifiable attributes of the different institutions that function to communicate messages internally, as shown in Figure 5 (the logo of the Animal Disease Control Center) and No.45 (the logo of the Medical Association), while the external form retains the common understandable communicative element of the phoenix flower. In a suggested homogeneous design, the features of phoenix flowers are based on orderly repeated arrangements of tessellation and periodicity, which create the effect of repetition. In particular, the five petals themselves are an orderly form, a structural element retained in the morphology of the logos. Thereafter, the superposition or combination of heterogenetic sector specific attributes is selected according to the form of the content symbol, and merged into a complete logo.

The following six logos were selected to be amended as part of this design research (Figure 9): the Environmental Protection Bureau (No. 03), the Animal Health Inspection and Protection Office (No. 08), the Central and Western District Household Registration Office (No. 13), National Tainan Industrial High School (No. 24), the Advertisement Engineering Association (No. 40), and the Tainan Medical Association (No. 45). These six institutional logos each represent one of the six categories above. No. 03 is a variation on the logo of Taiwan’s Environmental Protection Administration, with differences in the scale and colors of the phoenix flower and the core symbol, in order to comply with the archetypal structure of the Tainan City Government logo. No. 08 was originally conceived as a ‘v’ superimposed on the rod of Asclepius, but this design is similar to the design of logo No. 45. In order to distinguish the two, the traditional image was abandoned and replaced with a graphic of the silhouetted outline of a dog and a cat, using positive and negative space inversion. Logo 13 originally used three chasing arrows and text. However, because the original made use of too many Chinese characters, the logo was not readily identifiable. Only the three chasing arrows were retained, symbolizing the institution’s service spirit.

Figure 9.

Suggestions for a design norm for logos with a phoenix flower theme in Tainan.

The original design of No. 24 combined the image of a cog with Chinese typeface. The Chinese characters were arranged in a vertical manner, fused, and superimposed inside a phoenix flower. In terms of the design of the Chinese typeface, in addition to following the example of the layout for the Tainan City Government logo, if the strokes are more complicated, the typeface can also be simplified as a graphic to help make the logo easily recognizable. The font of No. 40 was modified to bold. The amended design of this logo should be used as a template for the inclusion of English text in the design of other logos. The name of the organization must be abbreviated and the text arranged horizontally. In general, for such typeface designs, Chinese should be read from top to bottom and English from left to right. No. 45 was originally an ill-conceived and complex image of the caduceus of Hermes. However, its uniformity with internationally accepted medical symbols is also an important consideration. Therefore, the caduceus is replaced by the more appropriate rod of Asclepius, which is then simplified and refined. The proposed amendments to the six institutional logos in Figure 9 also remove the original blue background of the Tainan City Government logo and all other similar logos in order to improve the overall clarity of the logo.

6. Conclusions

Tainan City gives prominence to the image of the phoenix flower as a symbol in public sector institutional logos with the intention of guiding the creation of a unified city image, but it remains to be seen if a uniform urban brand has been achieved. The survey sample of 67 logos represents a variety of public and private institutions and organizations that all make use of the phoenix flower theme. Analysis of the morphological characteristics, components, and expression practices demonstrates that there is no consistency of design principle in these logos, creating the current diversity in accordance with different institutional attributes. Just as the image of the phoenix flower expresses meaning in the form of a reduced or refined outline, most of the institutional logos combine their particular sign with the visual symbol of the phoenix flower by placing it at the center of the flower over a solid or empty field.

More specifically, these institutional logos can be categorized by the following design elements: pervasive symbols, cultural elements, typeface design, industrial embodiment, imagery derived from human anatomy, and decorative aids. In addition, the symbolic meaning and historical origins of core symbols, such as with the Tainan Medical Association, must be understood or the misuse of imagery may result. After analysis and investigation of the sample logos, logo design modifications were recommended. It is also hoped that communication of the image identity of the city will gradually create a normalized visual order, whilst preserving appropriate degrees of individuality. As the phoenix flower concerns urban development opportunity, it reflects the relationship between visual sign and logo production. From the research, we can understand the replaced relations of logo design as well as the regularity of combined forms or signifying construction. Also, the design techniques (such as metonymy, personification, and transference) reflect the visual rhetoric – such as safety, education, care, and service – to be used in the signs. These techniques offer a good reference for the visual design of urban brand.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The data for Figure 5 collected for the research study was approved by the Tainan City Government. It is used with the consent of participants and without any conflict of interest.

Funding

This research was funded by The City University of Macau.

ORCID iD

Wang Po Hsun

Notes

Biographical Notes

WANG PO HSUN is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau. His research areas include visual communication design, visual culture and minority traditional dress.

Address: Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, KC Wong Building, Avenida Padre Tomás Pereira Taipa, Macau 999078, China. [ email: g9730801@gmail.com]

GU JIE is a doctoral student in urban planning and design at the Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau. His research areas include architectural heritage protection and urban planning and design.

Address: Faculty of Innovation and Design, City University of Macau, KC Wong Building, Avenida Padre Tomás Pereira Taipa, Macau, China. [ email: gujie@cityu.mo]

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