New £50,000 logo for Belfast defended after online ridicule

A new logo to promote the city of Belfast has been defended as a re-branding triumph after the design was ridiculed by a number of people on social media.
The new Belfast logoThe new Belfast logo
The new Belfast logo

The image depicts the word Belfast across what is described as a bright red symbol representing a rough outline of how the city looks on the map.

In response to an item on the Nolan Show – including Councillor Jim Rodgers defending the logo as a welcome development – dozens of listeners responded on Twitter, criticising both the design and the £50,000 cost.

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Stephen Nolan said a disgruntled council employee had leaked details of the re-branding initiative to the radio show.

The new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programmeThe new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programme
The new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programme

One comment said: “£50,000 – ell done. Fantastic value for money. Logos? Policing, education, health. Wise up.”

Another said posted an image of the London 2012 Olympic logo with the message: “Reminds me of another recent logo that was not very popular,” while another said: “Jim Rodgers needs to read these tweets...it is what the public think of this complete waste of money!!”

Speaking on the Nolan Show, Cllr Rodgers said a “lot of work” had gone into the logo’s design, and added: “I think it says a lot of things about our city. I think the design is dynamic, it’s flexible...and recognisable internationally”.

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One Twitter user localised the issue even more with his post: “Even I can see that this is a bit ‘Union Jacky’... Half will love it, half will only want to see it on designated days!”

The new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programmeThe new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programme
The new Belfast logo has been compared to an existing one used by BBC Radio's Across The Line programme

Among those defending the new logo was Sinn Fein councillor Jim McVeigh who said: “Nolan Show has spent 30 mins nit picking at city council new logo, pathetic! More like Jeremy Kyle than Jeremy Paxman.”

Another supportive tweet said: “The logo is honestly fine. Nolan just has to have every topic over the top and heated.”

Gerry Lennon, chief executive of Visit Belfast, told the Nolan Show that an important aspect of the new logo is that all of the bodies promoting Belfast outside of Northern Ireland can alter the colours to suit their own branding.

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“It’s flexibility allows all the different agencies to target their audience, talk to their markets, and use the colours that are most relevant to them...the colour interpretation changes with the different audience and that is the power of this,” he said.

“For me as a person, it’s dynamic, it’s edgy, it’s authentic, it’s the map of the city, it’s very modern, it creates that energy we are talking about. Our city is in the middle of a rebirth. We have been held back for so long now, we are about to engage and make our mark in the world,” Mr Lennon added.