The Brand Strategy Consultancy Yellowwood, part of the KIng James Group and TBWA\Worldwide, is back-pedaling and presenting an implausible creative spin in the justification for its severely disliked new logo for the City of Cape Town.
David Blyth, Group Managing Director of Yellowwood, explains the elements of the logo design, for which work commenced in the agency on 6 January and on which 140 hours was spent. Interesting is to read the website, which informs that the focus of Yellowwood is to ‘build valuable brands for ambitious businesses‘, hardly a description of the City of Cape Town! From its list of services offered, it sounds more like a brand development consultancy than an ad agency, which is how the local media have described it. One can be pretty certain that Yellowwood did not write the strategy, and that it was presented with an ‘academic’ document which had to be translated into a logo!
The Yellowwood website states that the consultancy links its client businesses to their brands via marketing strategy, brand strategy, research insights (which appear to be lacking, no Capetonians having been interviewed for the strategy input nor about the appeal of the logo), data analytics, and strategic design solutions. In its Design section, which appears to be a lesser service, being last on its list of services, it states that its designs are based on ‘strategic insight’. Clearly the logo is a failure as Yellowwood was not involved in the strategy! Other public sector clients are the Western Cape government (via Carol Avenant, who worked there previously and now works for the City of Cape Town’s Integrated Strategic Communications and Branding department) and Iziko Museums.
Yellowwood’s justification for its logo design is as follows, as reported in the Cape Argus:
* The colours chosen, originally intended to have been those of the South African flag, represent the ‘unique colours of Cape Town‘, which are to be found in the Bo-Kaap (the colours in the logo are far more muted than the vibrant colours of the suburb) , the ocean, Table Mountain, and the fynbos.
* The outward arrow shapes ‘show progress, expansion and opportunity‘.
* The visual elements were justified as follows: ‘The circular shape of the logo is an inclusive and approachable form, yet is also has the stability and symmetry required for a reputable institution. Table Mountain was retained as the iconic marker of Cape Town… In order to differentiate it from the thousands of other similar Table Mountain marks and logos, it was abstracted into simple shapes. By placing Table Mountain on a circular horizon, we hinted at the forward-looking, future-oriented symbolism of horizons – they represent progress. By showing the mountain from many different angles, we captured the diversity of Cape Town’s people, views and cultures. The multiple rings of the logo show that Cape Town is a city with many roleplayers, and that together they work to make the city great – this captures shared responsibility’.
The Yellowwood designer of the logo is Marios Flourentzou, Yellowwood Creative Director.
Interesting is the agency’s response to a question of what the new logo design should achieve. In its media justification, the City had stated that it wished to communicate its positioning of ‘Opportunity City’. The agency explanation is as follows: ‘The City of Cape Town had changed their (sic) strategy, and they (sic) required assistance in building a new brand centred on the idea of collaboration and shared responsibility. For that reason, the primary objective of the design was to help the city build a reputation for the following things: ‘opportunity’, ‘progress’, ‘shared responsibility’ and ‘inclusivity’. Shifting the strategy from passive citizenship to encouraging active citizenship and collaboration for mutual progress required that we signal this change with a revolution in the identity, not an evolution. We hope to inspire the 3.5 million citizens of Cape Town and the 25 000 employees of the city behind a common goal’.
No matter how Yellowwood spins its City of Cape Town logo design, it is not going down with the ratepayers and residents of Cape Town!
POSTSCRIPT 27/2: The Council of the City of Cape Town approved the new City of Cape Town logo and pay-off line with a majority at its stormy meeting yesterday. Interesting is Mayor Patricia de Lille’s justification of the new logo in saving the City millions, not having been honest about the logo implementation cost. She is quoted as saying that it will ‘save millions of rands for the ratepayers of this city’, as the cost of implementing the logo would have ‘no impact on service delivery’, a nonsensical and illogical statement! The opposition ANC Councillors have described the new logo as ‘political suicide’, and are threatening to seek an interdict against the implementation of the logo, the Cape Argus reports today. The implementation would only take place after the General Election.
POSTSCRIPT 28/2: It was a shock to see the new City of Cape Town logo printed on a World Design Capital 2014 brochure we received at their Gala Dinner this evening, just two days after the logo was approved by Council!
POSTCRIPT 1/3: Design Week has a description of the creative rationale in its article about the new City of Cape Town logo. Interestingly it writes that the King James Group did the communication strategy and will be responsible for the campaign roll-out!
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
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Not sure why you think the strategy didn’t come from Yellow Wood
I would have expected that as a Brand Architecture agency and not an advertising agency, the strategy would have come from Yellow Wood (following a briefing session with the client) and then given to their design department to create the new logo and CI etc.
Also it’s good to remember that when the Eiffel Tower was erected in the 1880’s
it was only meant to last for 50 years, and everybody hated it – so you never know 🙂
There has been no mention of Yellowwood doing the strategy in any of the City of Cape Town communication Mary.
The seven page justification document by the City of Cape Town, after the bomb burst, is so academically written that it could only have come from the municipality.
The Yellowwood MD highlighted that the Creative Director that did all the work, related to the logo design.
only.
it seems as if this article is written without an idea of what the strategy is. There are a number of factors that make a strategy, tourism being one of them – and not the only one. The identity is about the many facets of the city, and the way that it’ll drive itself forward. And a forward city it is indeed.
I am not sure what point you are making Marc.
I summarised what the Yellowwood MD told the Cape Argus in answer to their questions. The City of Cape Town does not appear to have made its strategy public.
Amazing to see how the identity has settled and its gravitas standing it in such good stead. What a strong sign the city has provided with which to work as opposed to the previous pretty but not very substantial badge.
All the fuss died down very quickly Marc – even the ANC seems to have given up going to court over the logo!