Digital dynamic visual identities : Prospects at the frontiers of marketing and design

Abstract

A logo is worth more than a thousand words. But how much are thousands of logos worth? Contemporary visual communication toolkit of companies and brands is becoming more and more technology-driven and extended by Dynamic Visual Identity (DVI) systems. Algorithmic, data-based, interactive DVIs promise unprecedented opportunities to brands and pose new challenges for designers and marketers. This paper explores the characteristics of generative type digital dynamic visual identities with the aim of stimulating interdisciplinary discourse and scientific examination at this frontier of marketing and design. The current study applied qualitative inquiry to a curated sample of contemporary visual systems designed after 2013. By using content analysis and the designcommunication (DIS:CO) approach the authors identified three dimensions that are suitable for the examination, and development of DVI cases regardless of the industry, technology and media used. Explanations are illustrated by the award-winning DVIs of world-renowned agencies such as Pentagram, Saffron, and Lava.