Visual Representation of Industrial Brands: Landscape, Identity, and Industrial Memory in Commercial Imagery

Recent interdisciplinary research on cultural heritage has highlighted the growing role of corporate actors in the valorisation of industrial heritage, conceptualized as a resource for identity, legitimacy, and market positioning. This paper explores how commercial visual culture contributes to the symbolic construction of selected Romanian food industry brands through the articulation of landscape, identity, and industrial memory. Methodologically, the research combines literature review, case studies, content analysis, and social semiotic analysis. The study draws on selected case studies from the Romanian food industry, including such as Mangalitsa Ham, Griviţa beer, Bod and Mărgaritar sugar. The findings highlight how packaging mediates the relationship between product, identity, and place, while also revealing tension between authenticity and commercialisation on heritage-based branding. This study contributes to the literature by bridging critical heritage studies and marketing perspectives, proposing an integrated framework for understanding corporate heritage as both a cultural and strategic resource. It demonstrates how packaging functions as a visual medium through which heritage is constructed, aestheticized, and communicated to build brand identity.