Rebranding Christmas
During this time of year many of us are faced with the dilemma of rebranding the holidays.
In days gone by, this time of year has, for much of western culture, meant dealing with a very predominant branding system, Christmas. It has it’s identity colours (red and green) a mascot (Santa), and various iconoclastic imagery (decorated trees, mistletoe, stockings) and that is just the version of Christmas as separated from it’s religious iconography.
However, we are finally recognizing the diversity in our culture, and beginning to incorporate additional celebrations into our mid-December communications. We still continue to send out holiday greetings, but they are increasingly generalized to apply to a variety of people. And so the dilemma, how do you visually convey a holiday message without using any specific holiday for a basis?
Increasingly, the branding system of winter is replacing the branding system of Christmas. Blue and white have become the colours of choice, while frosty takes up Santas duties of mascot, and snow iconography nudges into the limelight.
We are planning a twelve days of Christmas feature on our blog in the coming days, and hopefully it addresses portions of the holidays that everyone can laugh at. As it is an expression of how we at Ricksticks feel about and experience the holidays, and everyone here celebrates Christmas, we’ve branded it old school.
Our official greeting however, remains non-denominational.
Finding a way of conveying a holiday message while avoiding specifics is a tricky proposition, but those who don’t celebrate Christmas shouldn’t be excluded from your "best wishes and seasons greetings"
In days gone by, this time of year has, for much of western culture, meant dealing with a very predominant branding system, Christmas. It has it’s identity colours (red and green) a mascot (Santa), and various iconoclastic imagery (decorated trees, mistletoe, stockings) and that is just the version of Christmas as separated from it’s religious iconography.
However, we are finally recognizing the diversity in our culture, and beginning to incorporate additional celebrations into our mid-December communications. We still continue to send out holiday greetings, but they are increasingly generalized to apply to a variety of people. And so the dilemma, how do you visually convey a holiday message without using any specific holiday for a basis?
Increasingly, the branding system of winter is replacing the branding system of Christmas. Blue and white have become the colours of choice, while frosty takes up Santas duties of mascot, and snow iconography nudges into the limelight.
We are planning a twelve days of Christmas feature on our blog in the coming days, and hopefully it addresses portions of the holidays that everyone can laugh at. As it is an expression of how we at Ricksticks feel about and experience the holidays, and everyone here celebrates Christmas, we’ve branded it old school.
Our official greeting however, remains non-denominational.
Finding a way of conveying a holiday message while avoiding specifics is a tricky proposition, but those who don’t celebrate Christmas shouldn’t be excluded from your "best wishes and seasons greetings"
