Investigating the Reflection of National Identity in Packaging Design with a Focus on the Component of Persian Calligraphy (Case Study: the Selected Packaging of Food Products in Iran’s Biennial Graphic Design “Silver Cypress”)

This research aims to explore and analyze how national identity is reflected in packaging design in Iran, focusing on Persian calligraphy as an important component of Iranian national identity. The study primarily seeks to specify the approach of the designers of the selected food packaging in the Iranian graphic design biennial “Silver Cypress” to use Persian texts and adhere to the norms and standards of Persian calligraphy and penmanship in their work. The research method employed in this paper is a descriptive-analytical method. The data collection method is a combination of the method of taking notes and reading pictures, and on-site observations conducted through open-ended questionnaires and interviews. The results were analyzed qualitatively. The research results show that in successful cases, packaging typographies represent the important component of Iranian cultural identity, i.e. Persian calligraphy, and its esthetic norms and characteristics, while reflecting brand identity. However, there are challenges in conveying concepts and meanings that distort the relationship between Persian typography and calligraphy and Iranian audiences in the following ways: 1. Lack and/or weakness in using Persian calligraphy and penmanship in design and preference for Latin text; 2. The use of shorthand with visual features influenced by the geometry, proportions and spirit of Arabic calligraphy and penmanship; 3. The similarity of the packages and their typographies to other cases and the lack of an independent identity.