On 3 September 2018, a forum titled “The Prospects of Ukraine NOW Branding in Creative Industry Projects”, organised by the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Fashion Week team, took place at Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kyiv. The forum was held within the framework of UFWSS2019 as one of the leading platforms for developing creative industries in Ukraine.
At the starting discussion panel, the First Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine, Emine Dzhaparova, spoke about the plans for promoting the Ukraine NOW brand. In particular, according to her, a module brandbook, which will show the opportunities of using Ukraine’s single brand, is planned to be presented in September.
“Today’s world lives by the shapshot rule, or with ‘little’ interest in everything, because there is so much ‘everything’ around that knowing and paying attention to all is impossible. How can one communicate in this information-satiated, dynamic world so that Ukraine is known about? What should the world know about Ukraine? Nowadays, dozens of industries, from fashion to high tech, are being developed in our country; globally recognised prominent modern artists are rising; hundreds of startups, from snail farms to virtual reality technologies, are being launched. And, as is known, without awareness it is impossible to develop a business in the modern world. Thus, the more Ukrainians make use of the single brand, the greater is our common victory. In the end, it is for the sake of complete openness that the Government have adopted official branding,” the First Deputy Minister was quoted as saying.
Roksolana Stadnyk, Acting Director of the Department for Information and Public Relations of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, spoke about the history of the creation, and the first achievements, of Ukraine’s single brand.
“In my book, collaboration of creativity and the state, which was effectively reflected within the framework of the design of Ukraine NOW branding, can and must be expanded to other creative sectors. It is my hope that fashion industry will catch on Ukraine NOW, as many Ukrainian businesses have already done, and will continue its rapid and impressive development. The brand identity which we designed may well be a tell-tale sign of belonging to the best Ukrainian products,” she noted.
The second discussion panel, held under the banner of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, was aimed at discussing the possibilities of using the Ukraine NOW brand in creative industries and successful cases of cooperation between the public and private sectors.
The third discussion panel, moderated by the National Bureau of the EU Project “Creative Europe”, dealt with integrating the brand into social life and its perception, as well as discussing other successful examples of branding and their authors’ experience.
The forum was attended by representatives of governmental and international bodies, NGOs and private sector creative industries. It was designed to show the variety of use of the Ukraine NOW brand and become a platform for discussing the prospect of branding in projects meant both for Ukraine and abroad with creative industry leaders.
On 10 May 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved Ukraine NOW, a brand designed by Banda Agency within the framework of the Commission for Promotion of Ukraine in the World under the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine.
In August, Ukraine NOW, Ukraine’s single brand designed by Banda Agency, was given the RedDot Design Award, one of the most respected awards in the design world, in the Corporate Identity nomination.