What it had to solve
Create a strategy and visual identity to tell a compelling story for Bhutan and its products and services in an increasingly competitive global market, defining the competitive difference a small kingdom can offer.
How it works
FutureBrand's Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong teams partnered with the Bhutan Department of Trade and the UNDP, starting with an immersion and analysis phase; the identity amplifies the ethos of Gross National Happiness — the development philosophy first named by former king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in 1972 — through colour and symbolism rooted in Bhutanese craft.
What it did
FutureBrand delivered a brand and toolkit intended to shape the future of the nation's tourism and exports; the consultancy billed it as the definitive expression of a country whose development model already inspired people worldwide.
Background
In February 2016 Design Week reported that FutureBrand had created a new identity for the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, built around the country's defining concept of Gross National Happiness — the phrase first used by former king Jigme Dorji Wangchuck in 1972 to weigh economic development against Buddhist cultural and spiritual values, with pillars including sustainable development, environmental conservation and good governance.
The consultancy's teams in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong partnered with the Bhutan Department of Trade and the United Nations Development Program. The brief: a strategy and visual identity to tell a compelling story for Bhutan and its products and services in an increasingly competitive global market. Research showed the obstacles plainly — Bhutan was not widely known as a tourist destination, its 770,000 people gave it no economies of scale, and it could not create a unique offer as efficiently or inexpensively as larger competing nations.
FutureBrand's answer was to make the philosophy the brand: "We designed Brand Bhutan to amplify the ethos of Gross National Happiness and capture the spirit of the country, its people and way of life. From the vibrant colours of the prayer flags to the spiritual patterns and symbolism of the country's hand-made treasures — everything crafted for Brand Bhutan comes from the country's pristine nature, timeless traditions and enduring values." Chairman Asia Pacific Susie Hunt called Bhutan "a small country with a simple idea that can change the world."
Why it lands
Gross National Happiness is already Bhutan's most famous export — the brand simply formalised what the world knew it for.
Values-led positioning sidesteps the scale disadvantage: a kingdom of 770,000 cannot compete on volume, only on meaning.
Visual assets drawn from prayer flags and Bhutanese craft make the identity uncopyable by larger neighbours.
Government and UNDP backing gave a tourism-and-export agenda official weight from day one.
What you can take
Small nations can't out-scale rivals, so they brand what they alone measure: Bhutan sold its values system as its competitive difference.
Since then
The brand and toolkit were delivered for the country's tourism and export development use; FutureBrand said it looked forward to seeing how the new brand and toolkit could help shape the future of the nation and its people.
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