The invitation was irresistible; and the challenge, huge. Imagine coming up with a symbol that conveyed the contagious energy from the greatest show on Earth. That would be able to represent the creative and achieving force that is the samba community as a whole, but that could also embrace each one that is part of this story. And there was only one way to do all of this: together with them. We listened to both the professionals and lovers of the Rio Carnival – this meant over seven thousand people involved ( 7.840 to be more exact) We had the honor of talking with the genuine samba notables.

We were told stories of how it all began, and the question we always asked ourselves was: if we had to choose only one symbol to represent the carnival of the samba schools, what would it be?

The flag, or the canopy, as the masters call it, was consensus, the symbol of the origin of everything. Now we needed to know how to use it. We went to the city of samba, expanded our team, took on several trials and took a deep dive in order to understand what is behind this icon. We studied the movement, the trace it produces, and the magic it transmits.

We understood that this brand could not be static, it should be alive and vibrant. We took inspiration from the twirling of the flag bearer, the samba hosts and the ‘bahianas’, the black and white pattern of the Copacabana sidewalk, the paced chiming.

Just like the people who participate in the Carnival parade, we made the brand ‘dance’ samba, reacting to the tambourine and the snare drum. This brand was born to reverberate to Brazil and the whole world, the creative magic that spreads all over the Sapucai, provoking the senses in a unique way that is so hard to explain! You have to be there!

We were told stories of how it all began, and the question we always asked ourselves was: if we had to choose only one symbol to represent the carnival of the samba schools, what would it be?