Symbol of “Scythian Sun” recently appeared on the facade of the administrative building in the center of Kherson. “Scythian Sun” is the official brand mark, which now visually identifies Kherson oblast. Local authorities have hatched the idea for popularizing this symbol for a year already. According to the governor of the oblast Mykola Kostiak, “Scythian Sun” does not only symbolize the southern region, but will also become a synonym of high quality products and services.
This brand mark was designed by the representatives of the regional branch of the Association of Advertisers of Ukraine. On the official website of the Association it says that the authors of the project wanted that the new symbol would, first of all, make it possible to clearly identify Kherson visually. This can be done with the help of the “Scythian Sun.”
“The mark is a collective symbol that represents all the advantages and bright sides of our region,” reports the site. “The key element of semantics of the mark is the spiral, which from ancient times has been the symbol of vitality. Spiral is a schematic image of the evolution of the universe and life in general. It is associated with the symbol of the center, the beginning of all beginnings, where the development, evolution, and life begin. Like a smooth infinite line the spiral also symbolizes growth, continuity, centripetal and centrifugal movement, rhythm of breathing and of life itself.” However, not all the residents of Kherson region liked the mark suggested by the advertisement designers and supported by the local authorities. These people do not see the “Scythian Sun” as a symbol of the region. Still more Kherson residents were surprised that this brand mark began appearing on administrative buildings, particularly on the building on 47 Ushakova Street – premises of the Department of Economics and Management of the Capital Construction attached to the Oblast State Administration.
“Brand marks of different regions in Ukraine become more and more popular. Perhaps it is the right thing because then people form a clear association with a certain region and hence with certain products and services provided there on the high level. However, neither for residents of Kherson oblast, nor for the residents of other oblasts (and even more so for the foreign tourists) the stylized swastika ‘Scythian Sun’ does not symbolize our land, does not identify Kherson region,” told Taras BUZAK, Kherson-based journalist. “Symbol has to be recognizable, has to evoke clear associations with the city and the region. I think that, for example, a watermelon could become a brand mark of our region. Everyone from Lviv to Kyiv knows that the best watermelons come from Kherson. We could also promote our tomatoes or sweet corn. After all we could make a tourist brand that would symbolize our two seas and unique steppes. But the stylized Scythian mark is not good for that. The authorities have been promoting this symbol for over a year now and by doing so they imitated work on providing support for the local goods. However, there are no results of this work. Now this mysterious symbol, contrary to reasonable logic ‘adorns’ our administrative buildings. Kherson oblast has its own flag and emblem, but instead the strange ‘sun’ appears on the buildings of local authorities.”
