To me, Seoul (and Korea) represents a dynamic person that is not afraid to give things a go and the new positioning reflects that.

Since its adoption, I’ve noticed it has received plenty of attention, both positive and negative, which is to be expected with a new city brand.

Words, symbols and pictures take on new meanings as you live with them and they develop their own personality. So, I’d like to think that this great experiment is rewarded by the world looking at Seoul as a friendly, vibrant and free-thinking city that is prepared to step away from the familiar city brands we see around the world -- to deliver new ideas.

For what it’s worth, in the U.K., the London 2012 Olympic logo more than polarized opinion when it was launched, with many people disliking the almost childlike design and typography.

But as everyone in London lived with it for a while and the logo was exploded into the graphic design across the marketing materials and the venues themselves - it really did look and feel fantastic, and most visitors from around the world were not even aware that it had been a controversial choice.

So, let’s all see in a few months time how it feels. After all, the two young designers who came up with the idea and the team who helped them bring it to life, deserve for their creation to be given some breathing space to grow in our hearts and minds.

By Luke Ashton

The writer is the global creative director of Cheil Worldwide and one of the nine people on the Seoul city branding panel. The view expressed in this contributed article does not reflect that of The Korea Herald.