Under Consideration's reliably fascinating Brand New blog highlights a logo designed last year for Burnley, a city of roughly 75,000 in the north of England. Resembling a mass of tangled rubber bands, it no doubt makes a strong impression, albeit an abstract, overwrought one.
Would you believe that all those different colors are somehow supposed to represent different aspects of a place?
It is believed that the different coloured circles are intended to represent the different aspects of the town. The red is supposed to represent the urban part of Burnley, while the green symbolises the rural areas.
It also moves.
I understand the impulse to make the visual representation of a place as inclusive and multivalent as possible, as capturing a sense of place is so hard to pin down. I really do admire the effort.
However, the lingering impression--Burnley is anything and everything you want it to be--is one of confusion and vagueness. If it's about everything, then it's really about nothing. How is this town different from anywhere else?
More.
Comments