About

»Good People, Great Nation«
By Christian Rau und Lukas Weber, Fachhochschule Mainz

“Good People, Great Nation” examines, from the point of view of two graduating communication designers, the backgrounds of and motivation for nation branding in the form of a visual journalistic analysis.

“Nation branding” denotes a strategy of utilizing communication techniques known from brand manufacturing to produce an image of a country that is akin to a trademark image. It is meant to increase the prominence of the country as well as its trustworthiness abroad ‚Äì in order to promote tourism, exports and foreign investment on the one hand, and to be perceived as a positive player in its relations with other states on the other hand.

Driven by a huge interest in design processes within the socio-political context and the question of the efficacy of brandings and visual identities, this study researches current images of states and nations.

Which historically rooted stereotypical images describe a national identity? How do they correspond to their respective nation brands? In an increasingly mediatized and interconnected society, what types of identities and images are created beyond the supposedly controllable and consistent images?

In the form of different researched collections, examples of texts and visuals are related to different topics that are located between the opposing poles of cliché and propaganda.

The core idea of the study is to reflect on the collaboration of individual participants in the process. We are particularly interested in the status the communication designer holds within basic political and societal structures as well as his position between responsibility and profitability.

 

Specifications

Concept and Layout

Christian Rau and Lukas Weber

Supervision

Prof. Robert Paulmann, Prof. Ulysses Voelker

University

Fachhochschule Mainz
Department of Design

Acknowledgements

Prof. Ulysses Voelker
Prof. Robert Paulmann
Prof. Dr. Petra Eisele
Prof. Dr. Thomas Daum
Dr. Rolf Sutter
Dr. Regula Sämpfli
Daniel van der Velden
Gabor Schreier (Saffron Brand Consultants) Wally Olins
Dr. Nancy K. Rivenburgh
Andreas Koop
Swiss International Air Lines and Markus Binkert
Steven Heller
Christian Jugovac
Johann Christian Bernhard Kirsch
Seraina Flury
Paula Scher
Gyorgy Szondi
Prof. Dr. Hasso Spode
Maximilian-von-Welsch-Gesellschaft
Prof. Dr. -Ing Rolf Kühlen
LKA Saarbrücken, Sachgebiet LKA 361
Bundespolizei Koblenz Referat 33
André Kern and Kerndruck
Kristine Harth
Ronald Wild
Florian Franke
Hunni Lee
Alex Balzien
Samuel Roos
Georg “Schui” Baumann
Luise Simros
Jolita Asalati
Jerome Wagner
Magdalena Anastasopoulou
Lidija Sebescen Schmitt
Jan Paleta
Iqbal Alassani
Nathalie Cordier
Lanny Landgraf
Dawn Davidson
Eike Rinke
Moritz Limpinsel
Svenja Jensen
Sarah Wagner
Birte Lena Spreuer
Alex Leu
Il-Ho Jung
Ruth Reining
Michael Schley