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...What's wrong with the simple yellow arrow?
There is an international project to create, if I understand the translation correctly, a single unified brand for the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.
( Edit This is new to me but it's been aroundsince May 2013for ages ! )
Having been involved in brand management and the development, creation, maintenance and protection of global brands, the very thought of this project fills me with a combination of fear, intrigue and excitement.
On the one hand a wonderful opportunity to develop a simple, elegant, unique, distinctive and memorable identity for a global audience, on the other a free for all for interested parties to create a monster.
I am sure it will be an interesting process. If it is concluded within six months my faith in miracles will have been restored.
I read about it here http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http://rr.sapo.pt/informacao_detalhe.aspx?fid=29&did=124343
Further, there is a European Union briefing here
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/sustainable-tourism/documents/loci_iacobi_en.pdf
I love the wide sweep of the first paragraph ...
1
The Saint James Ways as a mean of European sustainable tourism development
LOCI IACOBI 2
The Loci Iacobi project is about the development of the Way of St James as an European
touristic product and about the promotion, development and implementation of
a single European brand that can identify all European pilgrims trails to St James and all the tourism services and equipment that make part of this product, making possible their commercialization as one coherent and thematic product
Not a single word there about the spirit, ethos, values of pilgrimage..... Anyway the Loci Iacobi site is available in French Spanish and Portugese .. http://www.lociiacobi.eu/
Thanks for that, I should have said what I meant , " yet another European Union , European Council, Governmental Agency, Non Governmental Agency site ""and there is more information at yet another EU site here"
Just a quick note, a domain ending with .eu can be bought by anybody that resides in the EU. I know it, I have one ;-) The simple ending .eu doesn't make it an official EU site. Not implying that anybody here thinks / thought this, just mentioning it ;-) SY
Can anyone tell me why there should be one 'brand'?
The only reason I see is that there is some interest by people who make money from the camino. Please let them not take over any 'development' 'brand', 'product' or sign.
Thomas, you're right, vested interests might expect to see a commercial advantage. There will of course be many other more altruistic views. I personally find this sentence from one project definition, chilling....Can anyone tell me why there should be one 'brand'?
The only reason I see is that there is some interest by people who make money from the camino. Please let them not take over any 'development' 'brand', 'product' or sign.
Nellpilgrim - LOL! "once spouted" Same here.... still do ! Of course I'm not guilty of some of the worst excesses of marketing speak. Now you'll have to excuse me while I integrate the essence of a Brazilian horticultural product into a stream of the finest combination of hydrogen and oxygen available in my culinary universe..As someone who once spouted Corporate speak for a living it sends a shiver up my spine to read some of those links......I know that the groups and people involved mean well but really is 'enhancing the touristic integrity' of the Camino what it's all about? Surely by simply supporting those who support 'the Pilgrim' will ensure that the Camino(s) endure and maintain it's core integrity? Oh but I forgot 'simple' and marketing don't really go together.... unless we get really lucky and, having spend millions establishing 'core values' and the 'brandscapes'(yep you know like landscapes) of 'the audience', those responsible may (with the grace or God and St James) make the earth shattering discovery that 'the simple yellow arrow' has 'the greatest market resonance'...as long as they can make it an exclusive trademarked brand of course
I agree totally Margaret Meredith.....hear, hear.....Indeed. For me like Laurie the yellow arrow is THE 'perfect' symbol; clear, direct and for all of us who walk immediately recognizable. Initiated late last century by Don Elías Valiña Sampedro the then priest at O Cebreiro and first painted by him using yellow paint begged from the Road Department these arrows in our contemporary minds have become symbolically equal to the route. ..I'm all for good design but why change what is, what works and what is known just for the sake of change?
Margaret Meredith
I suspect "herding cats" would be more straightforward than this project. Watching this might be even more entertaining ! Meanwhile how about this as a visual identity ? I've just submitted it (with my invoice...)Many service providers have made substantial investments in providing for pilgrims. It makes a lot of sense that they would coordinate their offering. It is not the first effort. Red Albergues created an organization of private albergues to set standards and do joint marketing with their very useful folio. The French and Spanish accommodation and food providers are sufficiently anarchistic that I doubt any branding effort will be particularly onerous. I suspect it will be one of those "herding cats" efforts with some minor benefits to the pilgrims and providers. I sense a bit of resistance to change in the comments here! I guess it doesn't take much to spoil some people's memories and expectations. We all hope that future pilgrims will experience what we experienced, right down to the blisters.
Thanks for that, I should have said what I meant , " yet another European Union , European Council, Governmental Agency, Non Governmental Agency site "
...
Thank You ! To be clear, I'm ALL FOR your web site ! And indeed EU, .eu websites . ( A bit less keen on many of the European Union bureaucratic institutions ! )You forgot to add "another private web page owned by an individual that happens to reside in the EU ;-) SY
That's the guy! The following Holy Year there was a PacMan biker.I suspect "herding cats" would be more straightforward than this project. Watching this might be even more entertaining ! Meanwhile how about this as a visual identity ? I've just submitted it (with my invoice...)
is this what your refer to as PacMan Hiker ?
Wow, thanks for that, made me smile on sight ! For what it's worth I think from a design point of view it's (Pac Man Hiker as you describe him ) very effective. That sign is a good example of the scope of this exercise; Four devices - Pilgrim Figure, Xunta Device, Arrow (Left Handed, Black) , Xacobeo (Galicia ?) . Now there's about $500k worth just for some ideas right there ( although I'd do it for half thatHere he is:
View attachment 6340
by way of illustrating the complexity and financial interests at play, here is another "official" identity for Holy Year 2010 , this is taken from the Council of St James site ,This is the official logo for 2010, I think. Does it show any imagination??
View attachment 6341
No one is claiming ownership. The effort is to coordinate resource providers in a focused way. Governments already exercise a lot of control over caminos. If you pay attention to rerouting of parts of the walk, it always creates a lot of controversy. There are many stakeholders, so they have to coordinate to eliminate the friction. I honestly don't expect much except uniform markings, a few brochures in tourist offices, and a million dollar logo paying royalties to someone. The consequences are not likely to be dire. Maybe it will include a bit of clean up. There is no shortage of litter and graffitti.The Loci Iacobi project is about the development of the Way of St James as an European touristic product and about the promotion, development and implementation of a single European brand that can identify all European pilgrims trails to St James and all the tourism services and equipment that make part of this product, making possible their commercialization as one coherent and thematic product
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