Minsk brand to be chosen in a week (photo)

The civil council of Minsk City Executive Committee will chose the brand of Minsk on July 1. And it does not have to be the variant of the British company Instid. Other variants will be considered too.

There are 34 memebrs in the council – art workers, sportsmen and city officials. The the blue strips, the brand the authorities paid about 30 thousand dollars for, will be presented on July 1. Variants suggested by Minskers will also be considered there.

Another contest will be organized at the festival of marketing and branding Open on July 21. The British blue strips and Minskers’ ideas will participate in it. Director of Satio Zhanna Hryhyuk said:

"Many people have tried drawing and writing texts. We have received about 70 mottoes, texts, concepts and designs.”

However, the variants will be assessed by the international jury of representatives of branding agencies from Spain, Portugal, Romania, USA, Russia, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Iceland… The professionals will have to decide which variant is the best.

"The civil initiative “Minsk Branding Team” will take part in the contest. The jury will be able to assess it work. Without any financing. We were inspired by the idea only. Some works are more or less finished and they will be displayed separately. Instid will also participate with their strips. It will be interesting,” Zhanna Hrynyuk said.

The branding team is an alternative team that asked the city authorities to take their time before choosing the brand of Minsk and suggested more variants to compete with the British company.

"People have showed their love of the city. The company invited by the authorities has only diminished our self-identification. It looked like there was nothing interesting in the capital and people knew nothing about their city. It is not only amateurish, it is also unethical and socially irresponsible. Minskers replied: we are not designers and we cannot draw blue and white strips, but we have drawn how we perceive our city. Only then people will love our city. We do not need foreign labels, they do not suit here. We have proven it.”