Territorial brands seek to project idealized versions of the identities of the places they represent, presented as unifying and consensual. However, cities are made up of diverse and often antagonistic realities and visions. Taking the “Porto.” brand as a case study, we propose a counterpoint to a narrative that has become dominant, through the non-exhaustive mapping of typologies of appropriation of the brand's graphic identity. This exercise enables the recognition of local dynamics around the brand, revealing the coexistence of different perspectives on the city model it represents. Through this identification, we propose a reflection on the functions that are performed by the design of territorial brands, deliberately or contingently, when appropriated by different agents.
This article is part of the research project “Visual and semantic identities of the city of Porto: an ascertainment of the contributions of informal dwelling”, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the European Social Fund (ESF), under the grant PD/BD/150641/2020
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