2010 REVIEW 2011 PREVIEW - International Dragon Association

For as long as I have racedDragons, I have felt the Class hadno real identity, nothing thatbound us together as a worldwideclass, nothing that said‘premium quality’ beyond ourbeautiful hull shape and elegantsail plan, nothing that usefullyleaned on our proud 80 year history,nothing that underpinnedour incredible ‘One Design’ suc-A GenesisThe newDragonClassIdentitygood grasp of how to get to thenub of the problem. By the timewe arrived in Adelaide, we haddeveloped 4 foundation cornerstonesand my creative brief:1 A Class Vision Statement“By pursuing the Corinthianprinciples of careful worldwideClass stewardship, honourable,competitive One-Design racing,evolutionary modernisationtransposing political, culturaland other differences. Regattasare available throughoutthe world, offering a uniqueopportunity to meet this diverserange of sailors.b. The Boat. Its classic lines andtight one design make theDragon a unique racing experience.The design and sailingcharacteristics are akin tocess, nothing that was commonto all Dragon racing nationsby Robert Alpeof the boat, upholding Classtraditions, supporting ISAF,the metre classes and, unlikethe metre classes, they are af-other than a ‘D’ on our sail. Eventhen the ‘D’ varied from sail tosail compliments of the widevariety of sail makers around theworld.Between March 2008 and October2009 I began to engageour illustrious IDA Chairman indiscussions about the need toseriously address this issue. Acautious and intelligent man,Rob acknowledged the issueof a blurred Class Identity existedbut would be exceedinglycomplex and difficult to correct.Imagine Rob’s challenge ... getting30 National Dragon Associations,3 Officers, a President,2 Vice Presidents, the TechnicalCommittee, our Treasurer andboth Class Secretaries to actuallyagree on something soemotive. It was a challenge ofhuge proportions. Moreover theIDA had once tried to secure aformal identity package, but formany and varied reasons wasdevelop a proposal for the 2010AGM in London to consider.” Tothe sceptics amongst you, I didnot set Christoph up to ask thequestion, although I applaud hisobservations and the question.I had invited Rob to Perthto helm my boat in the PrincePhilip Cup in early January 2010and to make the 5,000 klm roadtrip from Perth to Sydney over a10 day period. This required wecross the Nullabour Desert, asolid 48 hour drive with amplestops for food, rest and expensivepetrol. We used this crossingto develop the brief for anew Class Identity. As a designer,I have provided quality solutionsfor as many as 20 CorporateIdentity briefs, so I had sufficientexperience to know what wasrequired to complete a qualitybrief. Rob had managed a numberof successful businessesover the years, so he too had aand enjoying the fellowship ofour global sailing fraternity ...the International Dragon shallbe the World’s pre-eminentOne-Design keelboat Class.”2 Communication ObjectivesThe International Dragon Classneeds a new graphic identitythat communicates thestrengths of the class throughoutthe whole sailing communityincluding current Dragon sailorsand potential Dragon sailors.The Dragon should be alignedto other premium brands forthe purposes of attracting andretaining international and domesticsponsorship, and for thebetter presentation of the classwith that of the sponsor at majorRegattas.3 Specific Class Strengthsa. International. We are veryproud of our global reach.Meeting sailors from othercountries makes one feel partof a very special global family,fordable to a reasonably wideaudience. The boat is longlasting with less depreciationthan almost any other modernboat.c. The People. The number ofcommitted Dragon sailorsand ex Dragon sailors mustbe greater than any otherclass. Owners ages tend to be40+ but crews are of all agesfrom 25 upwards.d. Competition. The class hasa wide range of top sailors,any major regatta including anumber of competitors withOlympic and other Championshipmedals. Very tightone design reinforces the intensenessof the competition.Dragon races are highly competitive.Many sailors whohave won championships indinghy classes move to theDragon in their 40’s wherethey can experience the levelof competition they desireunsuccessful with the attempt.with somewhat less physicalAustria’s representative Chris-agility required.toph Schindler posed an ‘out ofThis project will be successfulthe blue’ question at the 2009only if the broad spectrum ofAGM in Paris. “Is there somethingthe Dragon family buys into thethe class can do to present anew identity. To be successfulglobal class identity. We are cur-it had to be embraced enthu-rently 29 countries that race thesiastically across the whole ofsame boat, but each presentthe Dragon world. It also had toour class differently?” To whichbe long lasting without furtherChairman Campbell said, “Thechange.Officers agree and undretake toPage 30