Designing symbols. The logos of the Spanish Autonomous Communities (1977-1991)

 

Javier Gimeno-Martínez is a Design Historian and an assistant Professor at the Vrije University Amsterdam. He holds two MA-degree, one in Industrial Design (Universidad Cardenal Herrera) and an MA-degree on Art History (Universidad de Valencia) on the top of that he he obtained his PhD (KULeuven) in 2006 with his Thesis “The Role of the Creative Industries in the Construction of Regional/European Identities (1975-2002): Design and Fashion in Belgium and Spain.”

  

The text sets out the political reasons behind the Spanish Autonomous Communities and connected with the design process of logos and heraldic emblem. Within the changes of the seventeen new democratic regions in Spain from 1977-1991.  “New autonomous governments, who opted to create their down identity signs in order to manifest their presence among their voters.” Javier Gimeno-Martínez goes on to explain how the designs compositions where received by the individual regions and what made them successful or not.