A slogan preference survey was conducted from December 28 last year to January 31, 2023. Overall, 'Seoul, my soul' took the first place, but the gap with the second place 'Seoul for you' was only 2.41 TP3T, so the final vote was conducted recently. As a result, 'Seoul, my soul' seems definitive with 63.1% votes.
MY SOUL SEOUL communication design produced by Brenden Design Studio, an early version of SEOUL my soul, won the 2023 iF Design Award. This design was created over the past 22 years and has been used in various fields from SNS, video, media to offline.
City branding tends to emphasize a relationship with a city or emphasize the character of a city. The recently changed legendary I ❤ NY in New York, USA, and I AM STERDAM in Amsterdam, the Netherlands created by Kesselz Kramer in 2004, are representative slogans expressing relationships. Tile by Tile in Porto, Portugal, and Citiy of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia are representative slogans that emphasize the character of the city.
When branding a city, we try to make it easily understandable and positive for people of all ages. The previous slogan 'I Seoul you' was met with considerable criticism. There were also memes such as 'I will raise your rent' and 'I will make you work overtime'. This time, 'Seoul, my soul' has the effect of recognizing Seoul as a special city with the concept of 'Soul' while expressing relationships.
It is a common reaction that foreigners think of Seoul when they see Seoul. I think it is a slogan that considers the reaction of the viewers. City branding is intended to be remembered favorably by both those who live in the city and those who visit it. I hope that the slogan that reflects the character of Seoul will last for a long time and be remembered in the minds of people around the world.
