• Leo Schofield AM
Apropos ‘new’ HCC logo …
H for Hokey
O for Old-fashioned
B for Banal
A for Anaemic
R for Relevance and Rationale, neither quality evident in this dreary uninspired effort.
T for Tired … and also for Time to look elsewhere.
There are several outstanding graphic designers in Sydney and Melbourne (including one respected Tasmanian) who might have been asked for submissions.
The choice of such a dreary, uninspired design merely confirms the almost universal commitment to parochial mediocrity among decision-makers in the island state.
• Nathanael Jeanneret:
An open letter regarding the discussion about the new identity for the Hobart City Council from the Australian Graphic Design Association (AGDA) Limited, Australia’s peak national organisation representing the graphic design industry.
Tasmania is going through an exciting state of change. Being small has become our biggest strength. Small businesses, communities and progressive ideas have sprung up because nobody is telling us we can’t do it. Our independent streak runs a mile wide, and it seems we’re finding our stride nationally and internationally. At AGDA we encourage these new ideas and all forms of creative & adventurous thinking.
A new identity can sometimes be a shock, especially when replacing one that has become part of the scenery. Design is subjective in its appreciation. It’s okay to have a strong reaction to a logo. In fact we’re excited that so many people are passionate about Hobart’s branding. This is perhaps a first.
It is also a tough process. Unlike other areas of business, almost everyone has ideas and opinions on design. That’s part of the reason why we encourage people to enlist the help of a design professional. They sort through life’s noise and confusion to find the best outcome possible.
Part of a designer’s job is to put his/her own feelings aside and try and deliver something that will be robust, stylish and last for an appropriate period of time. It takes time to create a brand, especially one with so many interested parties and stakeholders involved. A project of this scale and complexity can easily run longer than 12 months. It is fair that the company engaged to do this job is paid properly for their time and effort.
We support the Hobart City Council’s decision to implement a new and exciting brand. We applaud them for engaging a talented Tasmanian design professional, when many would look to the mainland. Great Scott Design has an excellent track record of quality design. Their work for MONA, TasTAFE and Blundstone Arena has become part of the fabric of Tasmania.
All of us, except the council and the designer, are outsiders to the process that has resulted in this logo. We were not present at the meetings or during the design process. We were not part of the selection criteria or attended the final decision making and approval process. The outcome is the result of a client selecting what they deemed was the best response to a brief that client wrote.
We are all entitled to, and indeed should have, our opinions about our city’s logo. But we should also be aware that these opinions are subjective. And carry no more weight than the next persons. We should also respect the right of a city council to make its own independent decisions.
We do not believe competitions are necessary to decide on a logo. It is demeaning to the council’s ability to make meaningful decisions on the behalf of its constituents. It also doesn’t support Tasmania’s hard-working professional creative industries.
If MONA has taught us anything, it is that broadening our minds and our horizons brings us world renown. Creative Tasmanian thinking has kick-started tourism and jump=started our local economy. The risk of change, or adopting something new, is nothing compared to the risk of staying exactly the same.
web: http://www.onetonne.com.au
• Sue Hickey, Mercury: ‘Big H’ sets off great logo debate
• Chris Harries in Comments: A logo can grow on you over time. With that in mind I’ve tried to be positive about this one. Nevertheless, I don’t think it will grow on me. But… what’s in a logo anyway? I don’t think negatively about the Commonwealth Bank logo and it means nothing, and hints at nothing. But when you see it you instantly think of that bank. So it works. The basis of a logo is that it is 1) simple and 2) instantly recognisable and 3) hints at the institutions’s function. The hint of an H in this design is to far too abstruse, it’s hard to see it even when it’s told to you.
