Identity and Brand

This paper addresses the relationship between design and industry as a bridge to minimize the image deficit of Portuguese footwear brands. It reviews the essential themes linked to the competitive advantages of brands as a strategic design resource for organizations, analyzing different types of links between organizations and design culture. In a logic of product and communication integration, visual identity helps us to understand how the process of integrating design into organizations can operate above all at a strategic level. The relationship that the theme of brands establishes with footwear is related to the latent distance between industry and design in Portugal, a factor that is related to the origin of this deficit. Considering the technical and technological resources and know-how in Portugal, the case of the 'Sanjo' brand (1932-1996) is studied. This cultural heritage is a raw material with great potential for developing product and image strategies, with a view to sustainably enhancing Portuguese brands by bringing design and industry closer together.

Auteur

Pedro Carvalho de Almeida ist Designer für visuelle Kommunikation, promovierte in Design am Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, ist Assistenzprofessor für Design an der Universität von Aveiro, Portugal, Gastprofessor an der Innovation School, Glasgow School of Art, und Mitglied des Institute for Research in Design, Media and Culture (ID+).