Very interesting topic.

As a Head of Department of Communication Design and Branding specialist with experience working on projects of national importance, I will also put in two cents in. 

To work on projects of national interest that have high level of visibility is the dream of any designer. We all like to leave our legacy at some point and these type of projects provide the ideal opportunity for that. However, there are very complex social, cultural and political issues that need to be taken into account. My previous experience in this area is mainly in the domain of international promotion of national cultural heritage, but also with nation-branding. 

I agree with Sarah that the competition format is not the right format for developing a design solution of this nature. However, they are usually used to engage the public in the process. The entries from such competitions could be used as a way of measuring the public opinion on that issue and as a conversation starter. But they should never be about pursuing the end result. In any case, competition is not the best way to go forward with things like this. There are other ways that work better. The bigger the significance of the issue in question, the longer and more robust public debate is needed. I have seen many council / city / state / national branding exercises that have failed terribly, not because the design was bad, but because the constituency (the public) felt disengaged from the process and could not relate to the end result. This can happen even when highly acclaimed professional designers are involved. What I have noticed in these cases is that the public almost feels 'betrayed' if they have not been engaged in the conversation over something that is meant to represent them. 

I also agree with Ken that it can take years and it can cost millions to produce. As Sarah pointed out, these money do not necessarily go to the designers, but they are spend on the production of the collateral or other such costs. 

I will give you a little example. Between 2008 and 2009 I was invited to develop a strategy framework for one large scale nation branding project by a certain government. I was working on that for 6 months and my work was paid for via grant. But nothing outrageous in terms of funding. A fair compensation for my time and expertise. On the basis of that framework, in-house government teams developed a plan and the project was launched in 2010. (As an external consultant and I wasn't participating in the subsequent stages of the project). Now the project is in its fifth year of execution and the production and construction costs are very close to the vicinity of 1 billion Euro (maybe even exceeding that by now). The project involved the reconstruction of the capital city. 

So yes. Our immediate engagement may not costs that much and may not take that much time, but the implications of our work can rack up a bill and can last for years or even decades. 

But if you are interested further in such topics, have a look at the current flag re-design saga in New Zealand. 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11413938

The NZ government has assembled quite an interesting (or should I say unusual) panel of 12 people to decide on the new national symbol of New Zealand - ranging from the CEO of the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi to a Lieutenant-General of the NZ Army. The article link will give you the breakdown of the budget that they are spending on this panel (NZD$500.000). The public debate process is planned to take two years and will involve a referendum at the cost of NZD$25.7 million. Should the change happen, the cost involved with changing the flag would be in the hundreds of millions and will take years to implement.

Under the article you can find other associate articles as well if you want to see the full story.  

This is currently a very hot topic amongst the design community in New Zealand. Quite interesting case study for me to observe in real time. 

Dr. Gjoko Muratovski
Senior Manager: School of Art & Design
Head of Department: Communication Design
Auckland University of Technology


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