초록
21st century is the Age of Culture, and a period that is represented by symbolism and imagery. This is no exception for the countries that want to enhance their image in the international community. In order for a country to improve its brand, it has to select a representative emblem, symbols and cultural items. The usual suspects for this are its name, flag, and anthem. Each of these items can elicit different types of symbolism. It can also be used to differentiate the country from others; however, these are not the only sources of symbolism at the country's disposal. Other popular tools include cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, climate, natural environment, and its national character. A country can use these items to associate itself with certain images. The purpose of this study is to find an objective way to effectively boost Korea's brand. This will be done by comparing and contrasting the ways countries including Korea have used their national emblems to enhance their image. Data from each of the countries were collected and analyzed. The results of this study will become empirical evidence in researches aimed to develop fashion designs that use Korea's national emblem as its motif in order to improve its national brand Countries that were used for this research were United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France and Korea, and they were chosen because their national brand rated highly. The items selected for the analysis were scarves and neckties. This was because, compared to other fashion items, it was easier to sort out scarves and neckties that used motifs of national emblems as well as these two items having the highest usage rate of this type of motif. Group of experts looked through a combined total of 370 scarves and ties and they analyzed the following factors in the design: type of motifs, frequency, use of color, methods of expression and images.