Making promise visible through design

The case of the City of Vienna place brand

Abstract

This article aims to review two fundamental concepts of the doctrine of corporate identity pioneer Wally Olins: the corporate brand as a "promise" and the effectiveness of brand architecture to make it visible. On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Olins’ passing, we propose to vindicate the figure of one of the most influential theorists and practitioners in the field of organizational strategy and design. The paper investigates the concept of "promise" from a philosophical and anthropological perspective. Specifically, it takes as a framework of interpretation the philosophy inaugurated by José Ortega y Gasset and continued by Julián Marías for the understanding of human life and communities. The theory of brand architecture as a visual solution to imagine the structure and relationships of an organization is also reviewed. Finally, these concepts are verified based on a place branding case developed by the consulting firm Saffron for the City of Vienna. The analyzed case reveals the benefits of clarifying a common promise in the face of an identity problem, as well as the effectiveness of brand architecture to manifest it symbolically.