Search for a Logo for the World Day for AV Heritage

October 27 has been declared by UNESCO as World Day for AV Heritage.

The audiovisual heritage comprises all forms of moving images and recorded sounds, separately or together, whether or not intended for public distribution, and regardless of the means of creation, preservation or delivery, or the personal or organizational nature of the custodian. It further includes associated information, documents, objects, artefacts and technology, and graphical material selected in its own right. They express a nation as a place and people. Considered to be the documents most characteristic of the 20th and 21st centuries, the cultural influence and informational content of these documents are immense, and rapidly increasing. Transcending language and cultural boundaries, appealing immediately to the eye and the ear, to the literate and illiterate alike, they have transformed society by becoming a permanent complement to the traditional written record. Their content cannot be reduced to written form, and its integrity is closely tied to the format of its carrier – be it film, magnetic or optical media. Because of its fragility, much have been lost and continue to be lost if no action is undertaken .

In 2005, the UNESCO General Assembly approved October 27 as the World Day for AV Heritage to raise awareness of the importance of AV documents as integral part of national identities and draw attention to the urgent need to protect them.

Since then the World observes this day every year by organizing activities around a theme agreed upon by the Coordinating Council of Audio-visual Archive Associations (CCAAA) – the UNESCO designated body to oversee its yearly celebration. For this year, the theme will be “Fading Heritage: We Can Save It.”

For greater impact, both UNESCO and the CCAAA have recognized the need to come up with a logo to give the celebration its own identifiable brand.

Logo Parameters

1. ContentThe logo should symbolize and represent the global audiovisual heritage and its permanent cultural value in the fullest sense. It may also suggest its fragility and vulnerability, the sense of urgency attached to its preservation and the importance of accessibility.
2. Design

   The logo should be:

   • Simple – the simpler the better
   • Monochrome
   • A graphical design which works:
   • Independent of language (the logo itself must not contain any letters or text)
   • Independent of time
   • In different cultural settings
   • In all anticipated usage environments (e.g. internet sites, e-mailings, hard copy, projected image)
   • In different sizes, from miniscule to enlarged applications when reproduced through simple technical means (e.g. low resolution black and white photocopy)
   • ISuitable for systematic use (as a secondary logo) together with the UNESCO emblem or accompanied by the words “UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage”, or equivalent in other languages.
     (for requirements for secondary logos, go to http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=28318&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html.

   Entries will be selected on the following criteria:

   • Ability to impart the message or the meaning of the symbols
   • Attractiveness, recognizability and memorability for audiences in the archival, library, museum and documentation profession; and the mass media and the general public potentially.
   • Distinctiveness from other popular logos of institutions and corporations using similar stylized AV imagery of film strips, video screens, phonographs, projectors, sound waves, digital pixels, reel, discs, etc.

   Submission of Entries

   Entries should consist of the following:

   1. Original Artwork (softcopy)
      • preferred format: JPG
      • resolution: minimum 300 dpi
      • width: minimum 800 pixels
   2. Thumbnail version
      • format: JPG
      • resolution: 96 dpi
      • width: 300 pixels
   3. Summary description or explanation of the logo symbolismA brief write-up on the logo designer will be expected as well.

   Deadline for Submission: No later than 15 August 2009

   Submit entries and requests for information to:

   Ms. Joie Springer
   Senior Programme Specialist
   Information Society Division
   UNESCO
   1, rue Miollis
   75732 Paris Cedex 15
   email: j.springer@unesco.org

   Specific questions concerning the graphic charter of UNESCO should be sent to:

   Philipp Müller-Wirth
   Chief, Promotion, Partnerships and Branding Unit
   Bureau of Public Information
   UNESCO
   e-mail: p.muller-wirth@unesco.org

   Recognition

   The winning entry will be announced and presented on October 27, 2009 at the CCAAA and UNESCO websites, together with an explanation of the symbolism inherent in the design. The winner will receive from UNESCO a monetary reward of US2000 and will be featured in the website as well.