Nanyi Zheng

Stereotypes in State Branding

The purpose of this work is to explore the role stereotypes play in the state branding process. My project seeks to establish an open platform that reflects the complexities of Chinese and American identities. These complexities are typically replaced with images that can be quickly memorized and easily recognized.

Cultural stereotypes in state branding are the result of an external communication strategy of soft power which is the ability to attract, rather than coerce. The use of representative national elements in branding is the most effective way to leave a long-standing impression in people’s minds. However, at the same time, it inevitably leaves a rigid “visual cliché” as well which oversimplifies a country and ignores a nation’s mixed, rich historical and cultural background to some degree.

I hope my project evokes empathy among people from different cultural contexts and encourages us to question what we receive before regarding another culture as “a novelty,” or “the other.”