Welcome to Melbourne – Look at our Big M

City of Melbourne – Welcome to Melbourne – Launch of new City of Melbourne corporate identity.

I live in metropolitan Melbourne.  The City of Melbourne has launched a new corporate identity.  Did it make your snut twitch?

Now this wonderful logo, the blue and green M – the Big MCity of Melbourne Logo cost a bit of money to design.  $240,000.  Wow.  For the letter M.  Who would have thought.

What was wrong with the old one, I hear you cry?  The old one – the leaf design was out of date.  Never mind that other companies (say Coco cola or our very own ABC) seems to go for thousands of years.  (OK 50 or 60 years) and not have to bother with changing the damn logo, and if they do, its a nice little tweak. Apparently after 15 years, its no surprise that the logo is out of date.  When the leaf logo is stacked up against other logos from around the world, its weak.  I can just hear all the other world logos picking on the leafy logo from Melbourne. So apart from that, why do the City of Melbourne need a new logo?  Well, so glad you asked, here’s a few key quotes as to why we need this new logo:

“the leaf logo no longer reflects modern Melbourne and its true international standing”

“consolidation of multiple logos into a single, strong, cutting-edge design”

“greater brand impact and flexibility”

“a new identity that resonates with our staff, our community, our customers and for the City of Melbourne as an local, national and international destination.”

Isn’t that just the biggest load of twaddle you’ve ever heard?  Now let me ask you this, when you think of London, can you visualise their corporate logo?  When you think of New York, can you visualise their corporate logo? What about Perth, Singapore, Dubai and so on….. draw up a list.  A single waste of time and money for a logo that is meant to represent something that’s designed by a bunch of wankers who’s only reason for existing is to charge money to design second rate logos the mean even less than the first one.  Apart from the heads at the city, who gives a flying emus toss.  What’s wrong with a nice serif font and the words “City of Melbourne”, simply easy and straight away conveys the concept that the piece of paper you’re holding is from the city, that the building you’re looking at is the city’s, that the sign you just read is sponsored by the city.  You get the picture, without the logo.
Now, as a reward – head off and watch the You Tube video so you can see the logo in action.  I can feel myself getting hard, just thinking about it.

This entry was posted in Rant.

One Response to Welcome to Melbourne – Look at our Big M

  1. Andrew says:

    Making it look like glass or crystal gives it a sense of fragility – one good thwack and the fabric of Melbourne will shatter into a million pieces. I guess they primarily wanted something that would look 3-dimensional on a website or on the telly.

    I live in the Shire of Mount Alexander and surprise surprise – our logo is a drawing of the mountain. Truth in advertising.

    Melbourne would have been wiser basing the new logo on the spire above the concert hall… things that look like large, proud dicks always leave an impression…