New company designs tourism logo for Dunhuang

As a travel and culture buff, He Xiaobei has visited Northwest China's Gansu province, a world tourism attraction, a number of times, but he never bought too many souvenirs.

"I cannot afford cultural products like silk or handicraft - they are too expensive," he says, adding that touristy items like T-shirts with the word "Gansu" printed on them in Chinese, are boring.

On such trips he has always wanted to buy something interesting to take back home as gifts for others but his desire remained unfilled.

So in January, the 29-year-old designed a logo for the province's popular city Dunhuang along with some friends.

"The logo is a camel, because it is the first image that comes to my mind when I think of Gansu," he says, adding that he uses a cartoon as he wants more young people to buy products with the logo.

"Although I'm an interior design graduate, I'm interested in traveling and traditional culture. That's why I'm doing something for the tourism industry on the places I like," he says.

With a passion for design, he and his friends established Hull, a culture and media company, in Beijing last year.

They hope the camel logo will be seen as a cultural symbol and help the tourism industry become a part of everyday life of the city's residents.

Cha Ersi, another founder of Hull, echoes the thought, saying that the camel as a popular animal in the country's northwestern areas increases the chances of the logo's success.

The camel was a major means of transport in Gansu, a desert outpost in history, and it will remind tourists of Dunhuang, a key point on the ancient Silk Road, especially since the central leadership put forwarded the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, says Cha, an advertising design graduate.

"Some customers accept simple and clear images while others like eye-catching and powerful logos that quickly leave an impression," Cha says, adding that he hopes that cartoon camel rather than its natural image will work.

Hull wants its customers to use the logo in items of daily use, such as clothes and smartphone covers. That way, the company will be able to update the design or promote more products in future, he says.

"We are finally doing something to contribute to our country's tourism industry."

An enterprise under the local government is now working with Hull to print the logo on products.

Some will be sold for money, while others will be shown to other local governments to introduce Gansu's tourism industry.

"The good thing is that the provincial government has allowed us to design logos for other cities," he says.

"I hope when I go to Dunhuang or other places in the province, I can see more innovative souvenirs not only designed by my team but also by others," he says.

"Cultural prosperity is what we want."

caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn