Culture’s infl uence on brand design

Abstract

This work focuses on the design of corporate brands from diff erent cultures and countries. The main aim is to establish whether there are signifi cant diff erences between brands used in one country or another. To do so, the study analyses and compares 468 brands from 16 different countries grouped into fi ve cultures (Scandinavian countries, Germanic-speaking countries, the United States, Asian countries and Latin Europe). The results show design differences and similarities in brands from different countries. Some design factors seem to be dependent on the culture (forms and motifs used in the symbol, main colour) and others seem to be independent (representativeness, typographical layout, number of colours...). This cultural independence could be explained through technical, communicational and legal criteria that influence the design of brands and which appear to be common to all cultures. The study shows designers that they should differentiate between unalterable factors and those that need to adapt to the culture when designing a logo for a multinational or global environment.