Global Market Insights / City Research & Analysis / City Brand Strategy Development / City Brand Narrative & Contents Creation / Brand Design Strategy / Illustrator Sourcing & Contract Negotiation / Collaboration Management & Oversight / Package Design/ Marketing Merchandise Design & Production

Challenge : Humanising a Global Metropolis
Busan, the Republic of Korea's second-largest coastal city and the designated World Design Capital (WDC) 2028, faced a significant branding challenge. Despite its natural beauty—steep hillsides, vibrant markets, and inherent human warmth —it was often perceived globally as merely an industrial port city. The task was to reshape this perception and prove that branding, grounded in empathy, could drive civic pride and sustainable urban identity.

The Strategy : Betterment Branding & Shifting to 'Identity Cultivation'
The bread and butter, a B-Corp certified firm , rejected the standard 'placemaking' approach and instead pioneered a strategy focused on 'Identity Cultivation' (or 'Civic Identity Creation'). This was achieved using our proprietary Betterment Branding methodology. We transformed the city's existing slogan, "Busan Is Good," into a multidimensional value framework. This framework is built upon three strategic pillars: Good Places (geography), Good People (social warmth), and Good Possibilities (future potential). This elevated the brand from a simple phrase into a value system. We used existing civic data, including surveys from over 25,000 residents, to deepen the meaning of "Good".

Creative Direction: The Art + Urban Strategy Model
To bring this strategy to life, we developed an Art + Urban Strategy model , commissioning renowned illustrator Brian Rea, known for visualizing emotion through simplicity. The creative direction was intensely human-centered, aiming to illustrate empathy itself. Rea immersed himself in Busan's steep neighbourhoods and vibrant markets. His sketches captured Busan's "verticality" (a city climbing mountains beside the sea) and the "jeong" (warm-hearted generosity) of its people.

The Key Visual: The final key visual, "Busan Is Good," is a panoramic, hand-drawn map that coherently composes these two narratives. It contrasts with conventional city images crowded with towers by inviting viewers to "read" the city—discovering small, emotionally resonant scenes. This composition serves as a social framework, transforming citizens into co-authors of Busan's story.

Impact and Sustainable Commercialization
The innovation was extended beyond communication into a sustainable Betterment Merchandise Ecosystem, ensuring the brand acts as a true engine for urban development.

Economic Impact: The artwork was transformed into a modular design system for tactile souvenirs, including tea plates, notebooks, and hand towels. This 'merch-as-media' model ensures revenue is channelled directly to local SMEs (regional towel makers and food producers), stimulating the regional economy.

Social Impact: Revenue is partially reinvested into accessibility improvements around hillside landmarks and youth design mentorships, linking the brand directly to community betterment.

Industry Influence: The Busan model is referenced by other municipalities as a benchmark for human-centred urban branding and proves that branding can be an engine for sustainable urban and social development.

Launch Highlight: The brand system is scheduled for launch in December 2025 through a high-profile collaboration with local, leading coffee brand, MOMOS COFFEE. This partnership, which blends Busan's coffee culture with the celebrated Swedish FIKA lifestyle, results in an exclusive gift set, immediately embedding the new key visual into local commerce and culture.

Through this project, the bread and butter demonstrated that a brand can transcend marketing, becoming a vital tool for empathy, inclusion, and long-term societal betterment.