Recently the City of Melbourne, Australia launched a new logo for their corporate identity. Already, it has spurred quite an uproar and with a price tag of $240,000 (that’s right, 6 digits) it’s easy to see why.

Left: Previous Melbourne logo | Right: New and current Melbourne logo designed by Landor Associates

Here is the launch video for their new corporate identity:

Although the new look is very sleek, it is by no means worth the $240k the city payed for it. Don’t get me wrong, the logo is very beautiful, but certain details were overlooked.

Pros

1. Sleek & Modern – From the first glance, anyone can tell the logo is cutting edge. The straight lines intersecting with one another give the logo a crystal and cutting edge feel.
2. Bold & Strong – The thickness of the “M” mixed with its shortness give the logo more weight. This weight give the logo strength and makes it stand out. In comparison to the previous logo, it’s easy to see the difference; the new logo looks like it could beat up the previous logo with ease.
3. Creative & Artful – This is more trend based. The new logo’s varying colors make the logo feel more insightful and give it more dimensions. Like everything trend based however, this emotional appeal will change, eventually making the new logo old and dull.

Cons

1. Black and White – A test of any good logo is if it works in black and white. A great logo will have the same feel and effect in both black and white and color. The new Melbourne logo doesn’t



2. Ownership – The same crystal-like lines that give the Melbourne logo its sleek and modern look are part of it’s downfall; the look is possible to own. Meaning that any other logo or marketing material with a similar look can be confused with the new Melbourne logo.
3. Website – With the launch of a new identity, Melbourne seemed to cover all the bases of print collateral, but the city seemed to neglect a critical part of its corporate identity—its website. A quick look at a few pages from the Council Plan for 2009 – 2013 show the same sleek look portrayed in the logo carried through out.

Slick isn’t it? On the contrary a quick look at the Melbourne website begs the question: apart from the logo, are they even related? The clash of colors and the dated ads take away from the look. Also the random rounded corners take away from the site and the corporate identity as a whole. It is absolutely shameful. It looks like a child cut and past the new identity design and placed it on top of the old site. The two don’t mix and I sincerely hope the city redesigns their website.

Wrap Up

$240,000 can buy a lot of things. A logo for that price is expensive. Without a doubt, this logo is overpriced. It’s decent, but by no means great. Also, the lack of follow through by Melbourne on their website, takes away even more from the logo and makes it feel even more overpriced. Again, the logo is decent, but not great. The city of Melbourne will have to re-brand again in the future, hopefully for a much cheaper price tag