Italy now has its own logo and slogan to promote the country as a brand in areas like tourism.
The logo and slogan were presented Wednesday to the press by Premier Romano Prodi and Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, who oversaw the tender for the initiative
The presentation preceded by a day the one for a new Italia.it portal, which will be illustrated at the BIT international tourism trade fair in Milan.
The new logo uses the 'it' abbreviation for Italy and the red, white and green colors of the Italian flag.
The abbreviation is on a white background with a red dot over a classic black 'i' and a green letter 't'.
The soft lines of the lettering are meant to convey the impression of movement, flexibility and imagination
Below the letters is the slogan: 'Italy leaves its mark'.
"We know that the image of a country must have something which is instantly recognizable, a graphic symbol which delivers a message. This is why we felt it was necessary to come up with a logo," Prodi said at the presentation.
"We will now display it whenever possible, at international summits and during diplomatic missions. It will become part of our national policy and strategy," the premier added.
According to Prodi, "a logo alone is not enough, but it can be a great point of reference. What we need to do now is to work as a team to allow all areas of the state to present a complete image of our country".
Rutelli recalled how the tender for a logo and slogan took only six months from start to finish and said "I think we did a good job".
"What we need to do in the future is link the new logo with those of our regions. A big problem up to now is that there have been too many initiatives which did not come under the same umbrella, a unifying brand," the deputy premier added.
Rutelli, who also holdS the portfolio for tourism, went on to stress the role the new logo and slogan can play in promoting this key sector for Italy.
"We need to work better. Italy must once again become competitive in tourism, even if 2006 saw a comeback, especially for the art cities," he observed.
Turning his attention to the new portal, Rutelli observed "it is quite advanced and quite surprising. The portal will even be able to post the opinions of its viewers".
The tender for the new Italy logo and slogan was won by the London-based Landor Associates, an award-winning agency specialised in brand and design strategy consulting.
It won out over a field of some 60 competitors which presented around 160 proposals.
A special jury was set up to pick the winner with experts from the ministries of culture and public work and the state's department for publishing.
Opinions were also submitted by a host of leading Italian designers including fashion icon Laura Biagotti and Andrea Pininfarina from the automobile world.
