Cape Town - The City of Cape Town says that if its new logo gets the green light from council on Wednesday, it will go ahead and implement it “with pride”.
This comes after the Cape Argus published what several administration insiders claimed was a new logo proposed by mayor Patricia de Lille at a recent managers’ meeting.
But the city has distanced itself from this version of the logo, saying it was incorrect and did not officially exist.
The city will hold a media briefing on Monday to explain why the council will be asked to approve a new corporate identity on Wednesday, and to correct media reports based on “ill-informed leaks and gossip”.
Meanwhile, the ANC in the city has appealed to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to probe the process that was followed when the logo was considered.
The logo has not yet been formally revealed to councillors, and the mayoral committee approved the submission last week during a closed meeting.
ANC councillor Tony Ehrenreich said: “We want a referendum held on whether the new logo should be accepted and whether the cost implications justify the expenditure. The replacement of all branding will cost millions to the city that could have been spent elsewhere on more urgent needs.”
The Cape Argus last week published what several administration insiders confirmed was a proposed logo for the city’s new corporate identity, shown to them at a recent event by De Lille.
Many who saw this version were concerned the design was not representative of the city, and that it had not been considered in an open and participative process.
However, in terms of council rules, the city said it could not provide more information about the new logo and corporate identity until it had been formally considered.
But after a version of a proposed logo was published, Carol Avenant, who heads the city’s integrated strategic communication and branding department, said: “As an organisation we are moving away from passive service delivery to an active government-citizen relationship where we work in partnership for mutual success.
“This is an important and big shift we are making. To communicate this shift in strategy we need to visually align ourselves to our strategic intent.”
In response to questions from the Cape Argus about the cost of implementing these changes, the city said it would allocate existing budget to the process, and the associated costs of establishing this new corporate identity would be about R300 000.
City media manager Priya Reddy said: “If approved by council, the implementation of the new corporate identity will be phased in over a number of years, using the existing budget that is utilised to maintain and communicate the existing corporateidentity.”
The logo drew strong reactions, with one “concerned Cape Town citizen” saying that the “gear cog” design would replace the “colourful swoosh with our mountain in outline”.
He suggested the design of the logo should be opened to the public as a World Design Capital project.
Kendal Jarvis, a former director of public relations for the city, said the design of the new logo should make use of the powerful and internationally recognised elements that instantly identify Cape Town.
“Obviously none is stronger or more absolutely critical to the design than the inclusion of Table Mountain.”
He said it appeared as if the views of the public had not been canvassed in choosing a new logo and added that in “undertaking a corporate identity design it must be realised that by far the biggest cost is applying it to all the media upon which it will be used”.
Avenant said: “It is normal and important for an organisation to contemporise and refresh its look when it changes direction.
“As individuals we all have our preference for colours and shapes, but what the public forgets is that one doesn’t just create a logo for the sake of having a new look. The development of an identity is informed by design and strategy criteria.”
Cape Argus