Superunion designs new brand identity for China’s Nantou City

Located within the Nanshan District in the south-east city of Shenzhen, the agency sought to ‘activate’ Nantou City through the combination of the traditional and modern features of the town. The visual identity was completely altered by Superunion while the brand strategy, experience, and communications planning were also refreshed.

Having amassed over 1700 years of history, Nantou City – also known as the ancient city of Xin’an – was renovated by Vanke. The leading town developer and city service provider sought to transform the town into a landmark location which could boast four major parts – cultural and creative retails, trendy art experiences, high quality and innovative food and beverage, and cultural residencies.

To match these ambitions, WPP agency Superunion envisioned the core brand concept ‘Collide to Create’, which aims to position Nantou City as an ideal meeting point for people and ideas to come together. Its brand tagline, translated as “a place for every imagination”, resulted in the use of the semi-colon to symbolise the town as a focal point where individuals, ideas and cultures are connected.

Maggie Chien, business director Superunion China, says, “Using this iconic visual metaphor we created a whole design language for Nantou City across a range of physical and digital applications, from website to wayfinding.”

She continues, “Nantou City is not just a historical landmark that you visit once, but a place that you want to come back to time and time again, to relax, to stay, and to grow with. Instead of commercialising, we want to build the city into a sustainable cultural centre and integrate it with the local lifestyle.”

The project embraces contrasts within Nantou City, such as old and new architecture, tranquillity and energy, and simplicity and intricacy. The overall aim is to secure the town’s position as a cultural landmark in the Greater Bay Area.