LAUNCH OF A CITY BRANDING IN NEPAL: KIRTIPUR – CITY ON THE HILL

With new logo unveiled for Kirtipur with the tagline – “City on the Hill”, most probably it is the first instance that any city in Nepal has an official logo & has formally branded itself. The logo is made in 3 different fonts – Roman, Devnagari and Ranjana Lipi catering to different audiences even though the essence remains the same. The logo symbolizes the cultural aspect of Kirtipur with “K” depicting the eyes of Bhag-Bhairav, (the only bhairav moulded in the form of a Tiger). The colors “Black, Red and Golden that’s used are mainly the colors in Haku Patashi, which can be easily associated with the local Newari culture. The new branding exercise does seem to put Kirtipur in the map to answer the why? The Tagline “City on The Hill” develops a sense of brand promise driven by the essence of the community, cultural immersion & also emphasizes the geographical location of the place. Introducing itself as the “City on the Hill” it can offer a relief of fresh air, historical flashback, a panoramic view of the valley, Newari foods and many more to its visitors.

This branding initiative should put Kirtipur in the limelight as its persona and deep culture is different from other cities. The new branding exercise instills a sense of civic pride and feeling of belonging and show how diverse and inclusive Kirtipur is, all while simultaneously trying to grow their tourism sector. The logo highlights social & cultural immersion as it should be. 

It seems many rounds of brainstorming with due diligence has been put forth while designing the logo with participation from travel trade and the local inhabitants from Kirtipur in the partnership with Nepal Tourism Board and key officials from Kirtipur Municipality have made the branding more meaningful. Outreach Nepal is the agency which worked on this assignment by involving all the key stakeholders in the process. 

The main challenge of establishing any brand is the ownership by its stakeholders. Therefore, understanding, engaging and managing the brand by the stakeholders is a must. 

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