A Study on Creative City Brand Logos Based on Semiotics Theory - Focusing on Domestic UNESCO Creative Cities Cases -

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is an international initiative by UNESCO aimed at enhancing regional creativity, social domains, and economic potential.As of early 2024, 12 cities in South Korea have been selected to join this network.These cities have established brand strategies to improve their city image and promote economic growth under the slogan "Creative City" and have developed effective and attractive city logo design systems.This paper explores the factors related to city logos in forming city brand identity through a semiotic approach, proposing semiotics as an effective theoretical foundation for constructing city brand identity.The scope and methods of the study include conducting literature research based on Peirce's semiotic theory, analyzing the logo cases of 12 cities in South Korea around the three types of signs-iconicity, indexicality, and symbolismand interpreting the elements of city brand expression through a semiotic approach.In the specific analysis, city brand logos with strong iconicity include those of Seoul, Tongyeong, Busan, and Wonju; the logo of Jinju represents strong indexicality; and the logos of Icheon, Jeonju, Bucheon, Daegu, Gwangju, and Gimhae exhibit strong symbolism.Through detailed analysis of these brand logos, the paper investigates their roles and significance in constructing a brand image.The study found that the main factors in forming a city's brand identity are historical culture, physical environment, and natural environment elements.Among them, the logo designs of 9 cities are related to historical and cultural elements.Moreover, most city brand logo designs possess strong symbolism.The research results further emphasize the necessity of semiotic studies on city brand identity, providing important insights for designing creative city logos.