Signs Used in the Central Rat Race
The Central Rat Race primarily uses three signs in its promotion. Following the event’s central theme, its primary sign is an animal mascot, the rat in business attire, and running shoes (Central Rat Race, 2018). This is complemented by the use of a cheese wedge shape and the color yellow, generally associated with positivity and optimism (Central Rat Race, 2018; Kauppinen-Räisänen & Jauffret, 2018). These signs are visual, literally denoting a foot race, while figuratively having connotations with a rat race, a pointless pursuit. Furthermore, Central Rat Race’s award ceremonies use large bank checks that feature the logo of Mindset, a major charity organization, to communicate significant sums of money being given to charity (Central Rat Race, 2018). The use of this sign conveys generosity and success as both business executives and charity donors.
Evaluation and Suggestions
The primary strengths of the Central Rat Race’s signs are their conveyance of the chosen theme. The signs are also colorful and cartoon-like, highlighting the fact that the event is not entirely serious. Moreover, the rat is a positive symbol in Hong Kong’s culture, symbolizing positive qualities such as intelligence and ambition. By associating the race’s participants with this symbol, the event ascribes these positive qualities to them. However, the lack of an obvious textual component can make understanding the event’s context or content challenging for someone who isn’t already familiar with it. Furthermore, the rat is a primarily negative symbol in most European cultures, associated with deceptiveness and disease. However, this fact is not as relevant for an internal event.
Based on the above observations, two suggestions can be made to improve the event’s signs. First, a textual component can be introduced to make communicating the event’s context easier, especially for those who are not aware of it. Second, the rat mascot, while recognizable, changes from event to event. Although some amount of change is expected, a more consistent design would improve recognizability. Finally, if the event’s organizers choose to expand internationally, they may examine the mascot’s design in more detail.
References
Central Rat Race. (2018). Photo Gallery. Web.
Kauppinen-Räisänen, H., & Jauffret, M.-N. (2018). Using colour semiotics to explore colour meanings. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 21(1), 101-117.