INCHEON — Incheon Transit Corporation has unveiled a new brand identity and three official mascots created from ideas submitted by local residents.
The corporation held an awards ceremony for the brand identity and character design contest at its headquarters on Oct. 20, where it presented the new logo and three characters. It had collected entries from residents between July 13 and Aug. 6, receiving 74 brand identity submissions and 96 character designs, and selected six teams, including top prize winners in each category, after a review.
The new brand identity, inTRO, combines the first letters of Incheon and Transit with the Chinese character "ro," meaning road. The corporation said the name reflects its role in starting the daily routines of Incheon's 3 million residents. The visual design renders the signature colors of Incheon Subway Lines 1 and 2 and the shapes of public transit vehicles as simple symbols.
The three mascots are based on animals and equipment representing the corporation's main businesses and on-site safety functions. Dallo, an otter guide covering ground transportation and the Wolmi Sea Train, is meant to convey arriving safely at one's destination. Duro, a mole working as an underground tunnel safety officer, represents checking every corner without blind spots and carving out durable paths. Leading the pair is Ttitti, a miniature train whose friendly horn sound stands for the corporation's artificial intelligence route guidance system built on its accumulated data.
The corporation will roll out the new brand identity and characters across signage at stations, publications, social media and merchandise, both online and offline. It also plans to expand communication channels using the characters to strengthen its image as a safe and smart public transit operator.
"Residents' participation and proposals completed symbols that capture the value of our corporation," Incheon Transit Corporation President Choi Jung-kyu said. "We will make active use of them throughout our operations and establish ourselves as a public enterprise that residents trust more."