Superunion branded a 1,700-year-old Shenzhen city around the semi-colon

A complete brand overhaul — strategy, experience, communications planning and total visual identity revamp — to 'activate' a historic town blending Chinese tradition with modern creativity and sustainable growth.

A design language built on the semi-colon spanning physical and digital applications, from website to wayfinding, for a city now embedded with cultural and creative retail, trendy art experiences, innovative F&B and cultural residencies.

No metrics in the source; the identity launched under the tagline 為每一種想像而來 — 'a place for every imagination' — positioning Nantou as somewhere to return to, 'to relax, to stay, and to grow with'.

Nantou City — also known as the ancient city of Xin'an, at the centre of Shenzhen's Nanshan District — unveiled a refreshed brand identity in July 2022, led end to end by WPP agency Superunion: brand strategy, experience and communications planning, plus a total revamp of the visual identity. The refresh came as developer Vanke's renovation turned the historic town into a landmark with four major parts: cultural and creative retail, trendy art experiences, high-quality innovative F&B, and cultural residencies.

The core idea, 'Collide to Create', positions Nantou as a place of contrasts and a meeting point for people and ideas. Its central creative device is the semi-colon — the punctuation whose literal function is connecting independent clauses, given symbolic weight as Nantou connecting individuals, ideas and cultures. The tagline 為每一種想像而來 translates to 'a place for every imagination'.

Superunion China business director Maggie Chien said the metaphor generated 'a whole design language for Nantou City across a range of physical and digital applications, from website to wayfinding', and framed the ambition against over-commercialization: build 'a sustainable cultural center' integrated with local life. Project GM Huang Nan added the goal was to retain Nantou's original architecture while embracing contrast — 'old versus new, tranquility versus energy, simplicity versus intricacy'.

The semi-colon is the rare brand mark that arrives with its own meaning: connection between independent things is exactly the city's pitch.

Renovation-era historic districts usually get generic heritage branding; 'Collide to Create' instead sells the tension between old and new.

Designing across wayfinding to web made the mark functional — visitors navigate by the symbol that tells the city's story.

Punctuation is a ready-made brand device: pick the mark whose grammar already says what the place does.

The identity launched across Nantou City's physical and digital touchpoints from mid-2022, as the Vanke-run renovation positioned the town for the thriving Greater Bay Area.