Belfast city gets a new logo

Jul 3, 200838 appreciated comments

Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city (I was born just 12 miles away), has rebranded with a new logo design. You can see the new logo on the Belfast Tourism website.

Belfast’s moment is here and now and must be grasped.
Lord Mayor, Belfast City Council website

From the Council website:

The new brand is spearheaded by a heart-shaped B logo, accompanied by messages including the word ‘be’ – such as ‘be welcome’, ‘be part of it’ and ‘be vibrant’.

Its aim is to help market Belfast to international visitors and potential investors, promoting the city as an exciting, vibrant and welcoming place.

The Belfast logo comes in six colours: blue, grey, maroon, fuchsia, lime and aqua. It also has its own “bespoke” typeface (called Moment). You’ll find the brand guidelines here.

Mentioned elsewhere:

Irish Times: A blank canvas for a new North
Brand Republic: Belfast rebrands city logo to shake off old perceptions
Belfast Telegraph: Feelings mixed over new branding for Belfast

Considering it’s modelled on a cross between my personal logo and that of Logo Design Love it’s clearly an inspired creation.

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38 appreciated comments, click here to add one

Tracey Grady

Nice design, representing both a heart shape and a “B” for Belfast. I wonder what significance (if any) the maroon colour has? Good to see a city logo which is so simple in its design.

Tracey Grady’s last blog post…10 seamless website designs

Jul 3rd, 2008
David Airey

I updated the post to mention colour (having just read an article in the Irish Times). There are six colours that can be used, and the typeface is called Moment. I agree, Tracey, it’s good to see simplicity.

Jul 3rd, 2008
Richard

Comment from Wolff Olins here David:
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3850707.ece

Guidelines here:
http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/brand/

Jul 3rd, 2008
Adam

Such a simple yet sophisticated logo, I love it, no pun intended :)

Jul 3rd, 2008
David Airey

Richard,

Cheers for the extra info, and interesting to read that Wolff Olins aren’t impressed.

Adam,

Thanks for commenting.

Jul 3rd, 2008
Daniel Campos

I think so this logo was amazing. If aim is to show the city to the world, it’s good ’cause I’m a Brazilian man and till this moment don’t known Belfast city!!! =D

Congratulation for blog David!
Regards

Daniel

Jul 3rd, 2008
Chris Spooner

I like it!
I recall reading an interesting article in Computer Arts Projects recently with a few more examples of city rebrands, seems like an increasing trend.

Chris Spooner’s last blog post…Ornate, Floral, Swirly and Curly Vector Roundup

Jul 3rd, 2008
Peter Sullivan

This is well thought out. It works all the way through to the tag. Tags can add such depth to a design. It is good to see the follow through.

Jul 3rd, 2008
Peter O'Toole

When i first looked at the logo i actually didn’t see the ‘B’ represented in the shape. It was only when I read the caption that i realised what the logo was all about. I think it’s very simply, clever and effective… get me to Belfast now!! ; )

Jul 3rd, 2008
Rafie

It’s a good logo really. Better that few that you mention in DA magazine. This one speaks, “Love Belfast!”.

By the way, how far is Belfast from Cardiff?

Jul 3rd, 2008
Aaron Riddle

Very nice. The use of the “B” and heart shape implication is very clevery and effective!

Aaron Riddle’s last blog post…Personal Thank You Note from Mozilla and Firefox 3

Jul 3rd, 2008
Gio

Like Peter, I didn’t get that the heart was also a B until I read the post. Now that I have, I like it – it’s clever, and I have to disagree that it’s copying “I♥NY.” The heart is a common shape, and the context that each was used in was different. That’s like saying Starbucks and Target copied each other because they both have circular logos. As for the designers who came up with the London 2012 logo who don’t care for it, they’re certainly entitled to their opinion, but I’m certainly glad Belfast’s logo won’t gain notoriety for looking like Lisa Simpson.

♥

Gio’s last blog post…Anatomy of a Website: Working with Wireframes

Jul 4th, 2008
cat

David,

Due to the odd shape of the heart, in my first glance I didn’t get ‘be welcome’, ‘be part of it’ and ‘be vibrant’.

I got boobs and bums.

Bums with the logo plain. Then boobs came with the 3d version.

(apologies if I’ve ruined it for you forever ;-)

cat’s last blog post…Design Sojourn: 30 Essential Books for Industrial Designers

Jul 4th, 2008
David Airey

Daniel,

How is everything in Brazil? All good I hope.

Chris,

Sounds like a good article you read, and one that would make for a nice blog post.

Peter S.,

Yep, I think it always helps when you can see logos in context (on signage, stationery etc.).

Peter O.,

I wonder if you saw the same thing as Cat (who also commented).

Rafie,

It’s around 240 miles from Cardiff to Belfast, but you’ll have to get your water wings on.

Aaron, Gio,

Thanks for your thoughts, guys.

Cat,

Well that’s just great. Now I see the poor girl in the photo resting her cheek on a butt. :)

Jul 4th, 2008
cat

Well, either that, or nestled in some lovely boobs!

And WHERE are his hands, hmmm?
(from that cheeky grin, you just know he knows what he’s up to)

;-)

cat’s last blog post…Design Sojourn: 30 Essential Books for Industrial Designers

Jul 4th, 2008
plamen

I just wonder what’d happen if Mr. Bricolage decide to open a store in Belfast…

plamen’s last blog post…Как се казва този цвят 3

Jul 4th, 2008
Funky Love Bunny

Cool idea, I know because my logos have been using the exact same shaped heart design as letters for many years

see my

http://www.funkylovebunny.com/english/welcome/loverslogos.html

The reason being is that my real name is Funky Love Bunny so i try to include a heart love logo in everything i do, it’s kind of my trademark.

you can also see a post about it here http://funkylovebunny.tumblr.com/post/40958621/many-of-you-may-have-met-me-when-i-was-creating

Well they say great minds think alike :) Hey maybe Funky Love Bunny could be a Belfast mascot :P even though I’m now 3rd generation Aussie. (originally from county Antrim in Ireland)

Jul 4th, 2008
Kelly

David,

Disastrously, I have to agree with Cat. Before I read all the way down in the comments, I was wondering how to put that tastefully. Breasts, bums, and didn’t see the “B[e] welcome” as a phrase.

However…

I’ll assume they did some testing and Cat and I are alone in this view, to give them the benefit of the doubt. The brand problem would be (pardon my Irish-American point of view) how to move Belfast from the perception of a possibly dangerous place with the potential for terrorist activity, to a friendly place to bring your kids and your dollars?

The more I looked (after I read your article and saw what I was supposed to see), the more I think that if the brief was phrased like that, then this solution is probably what Belfast wants. Softness, happy 1970s feeling, and all.

Thank goodness they didn’t put a smiley on the other end of welcome :)

Interesting post.

Regards,

Kelly

Jul 4th, 2008
Kristine Sheehan

Referring to the “Troubles” in the North, and putting them on the side… the simplicity of the Belfast logo makes my heart sing.

Learning as I go…

Kristine

Jul 4th, 2008
Ney Pimentel

well, after reading all the comments i was wondering if i should bother to give my 2cents, and i did, so here it is..

the more logos i design the more i feel that we (designers) all have this thing inside of us that tells us when a logo feels right or wrong..

logos give off vibes and without knowing the target “brand” of the logo i feel the first thing a person needs to feel is the “flow” and that it reads and feels right inside..

the logo is cool but it’s just something about the “t” and the “round” shape the clashes and give me this not so comfortable vibe.. it’s like a subconscious pause that’s not quite comfortable inside..

it could of been better :(

just being honest.
- Ney

Jul 4th, 2008
Luca Guidi

It’s similar to the Batega logo, seen in Barcelona a couple of years ago. Just google and see.

Luca Guidi’s last blog post…Sashimi: Getting Started Tutorial

Jul 5th, 2008
Frank

I’m not impressed at all, then again most stuff Wolff Olins does doesn’t have an impact on me either and i find it a bit ridiculous to read WO thinks the logo doesn’t bring across what the brand stands for or what it means when this is exactly one of the major issues with the WO-created London Olympics logo.

Hypocrites i say.

But indeed i find the new Belfast logo to be missing uniqueness and proper execution.The “B” is anything but obvious which of course is due to te fact that any heart symbol has an included “B” if you will so that’s nothing specific to the Belfast heart and hence it’s not popping out at all.

So what is left is a heart shape and one that looks a bit odd at that really.If they really wanted to emphasize on the “B” aspect they should have rotated the symbol a bit more to the right so that the “B” becomes more obvious while leaving the wordmark in the horizontal position as it is so it parallels to the “B”.

Anyway, the way it is right now all i can see is a heart with the wordmark in it; remember a good logo is not one that needs a written rationale next to it because you can’t print that explanation next to the logo everytime you wanna use it.Not that logos should be selfexplanatory, but either you be really clever with it so it has that “WOW” effect when you discover the hidden gem (see Fedex etc) or if it’s not so clever then make the idea behind it more obvious.

This logo does not accomplish either of that.

Jul 5th, 2008
David Airey

Cat,

Yep, it’s quite the cheeky grin he’s wearing.

Plamen,

Nice find. I’m not sure Belfast would appreciate Mr Bricolage’s competition.

Love Bunny,

Perhaps this is Belfast’s way of calling you ‘home’? Where in Australia are you? I have relatives in Brisbane and friends in Melbourne / Sydney. Great country.

Kelly,

Thanks for your opinion. It’s clear there are some connotations that weren’t looked for, and it’d be interesting to learn what the focus groups came up with. Having taken 12 months to create, surely someone saw boobs.

Kristine,

Thankfully, the troubles seem to be a thing of the past. Sure, there’s still violence, but you can find that everywhere you go. Northern Ireland has changed so much in just a decade.

Ney,

When you’re looking at the ‘t’ and the curve, my eye is focused on the ‘a’ of ‘Belfast’. The gap in the centre really draws my attention.

Luca,

Thanks for the reference.

Frank,

I wonder if Wolff Olins pitched for this project. I actually saw the ‘B’ before the heart, perhaps because I was thinking ‘Belfast’ prior to seeing the logo.

Jul 7th, 2008
Funky Love Bunny

David – In a place called Coffs Harbour, it’s a beach side town, but then again 80% of Australia’s population is. About half way between brisbane and sydney. Even though Melbourne is always a great art scene, Brisbane is actually starting to get a bit of a design scene starting so I’m thinking of heading that way.

Jul 8th, 2008
Adam Glynn-Finnegan

I quite like this logo, I like the heart aspect of it, and the ‘B’ shape.
It reminds me a lot of the Bradford College logo, a college in the North of England. (not that I think its any good!)
http://www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk.

You can see their logo here:
http://media.studylink.com/provider/pid-si-30-bra/logo.gif

Jul 8th, 2008
Red

First of all, I am a newcomer to your blog/site – I think it’s fantastic and it’s definitely a welcome addition to my favourites bar.

As both a graphic designer/student, and a born-and-bred Belfast-er, I found the re-branding of the city extremely refreshing and exciting. I think it has a very understated, clever message that appeals to tourists and residents alike.

The city as a whole has progressed in leaps and bounds over the past couple of years; to me this really is the cherry on the cake.

Jul 10th, 2008
John

As a Belfast resident all I can say about this logo is ‘B’ – ollocks. Apologies for any offence, but the simplicity of the design comes from the fact that there isn’t anything terribly distinct about Belfast worth celebrating.

will make it easy for the souvenir t-shirt brigade though – so I supoose there’s some value in it.

Jul 16th, 2008
David Airey

Funky,

I have a cousin living in Brisbane, and she’s tempting me over. If it does come around, it’s a couple of years down the line. Should you decide to move, I hope it goes well.

Adam,

Nice find. The similarities are obvious.

Red,

Thanks for the site props. I appreciate it.

John,

No offence taken at all. We’re all entitled to our opinions.

Jul 17th, 2008
Mark

Looks like somebody has been doing a bit of copying… but who copied who??

http://nwemail.co.uk/love_barrow

Jul 24th, 2008
Andy

Well, I get the feeling this logo only works because it is clinging to a current style… I dont think it will have the same effect a few years from now. Then again, it is probably not set to last that long.

@Mark:
nice find! also try to search for “Bradford College”
I got this:
http://www.eteach.com/EmpLogo.ashx?id=27609

Sep 3rd, 2008
Caoimhe

It is very ‘now’ looking, I’m surprised it doesn’t have a web 3.0 gradient going through it…

I love it though, and I’ve enjoyed the commercials promoting Belfast on T.V. I’ve only been there once and I’m curious to find out more. I don’t think any Irish person would consider there to be a danger aspect to Belfast tourism, but I imagine there are still strong connotations attached to it by international tourists……they all seem keen to see the murials anyway!!

For me, I particularly like the sophisticated colours “blue, grey, maroon, fuchsia, lime and aqua” – there’s a lot of potential there for contemporary design work.

and anyone involved in the London Olympic Logo design……….I’m not sure I’d take their advice on designing my downstairs toilet nevermind anything else :o)

Caoimhe’s last blog post…The Comic Book Evolves

Feb 13th, 2009
Paul

This is a great little logo and hopefully Belfast City Council stick with it now for the long term. Its heart shaped, simple and comes in many colours. Its a controversial little number. Many within the city have voiced their concerns but it also has its fans too. It has certainly brightened up the city’s look which was definitely needed. Perhaps the best thing about this logo is the fact that its simple and gets the message across easily. Check out another review at http://www.chewdesign.co.uk/index.php/new-logo-for-belfast

Mar 23rd, 2009
Matty

I like it. Simple and bold with a concept that works. Also looks really nice in the two tone white out version. The logo will also work really well when it comes to branding everything with the simple bold design.

Aug 26th, 2009
Tricia

Who designed this logo?

Nov 17th, 2009