New City of Cape Town Council approved identity and pay-off line

The City has worked hard to earn a reputation as the "City that works for you" and is acknowledged as the best run local government in South Africa and the leading provider of services. However, as contained in the vision of the Integrated Development Plan, the City now wants to build on this legacy and build a City of opportunity. 

Furthermore, the positioning of the "City that works for you" is the antithesis of what this administration stands for, in that it implies a passive government-citizen relationship. We want to shape a future of dynamic collaboration, partnership and shared responsibility where we work towards mutual success. 

The move from passive service delivery to shared responsibility is significant and required a marked change in our visual expression so that we can effectively and with impact communicate this change.

The basis of this visual shift, the Integrated Development Plan and supporting policy documents, were developed with extensive public participation and therefore what we have proposed to council was to ensure that our visual identity matches this strategic direction. 

We all have our personal preferences and opinions on logos and when it's a logo that we have a personal connection to - like the logo of the city that we live in, it's understandable that there are going to be heated exchanges on any redesign.

We can't expect a new logo to be universally liked or to feel meaningful until the promise it represents is delivered. The question is whether you support a city that wants to build a reputation for progress, working in partnership towards shared responsibility, a city that provides opportunities, an inclusive city. If you do, then the conversation about shapes and colours become irrelevant as it is purely the visual expression of our strategic intent.

The previous City of Cape Town logo was designed in 2003 with the main aim of graphically representing the brand of the City of Cape Town as a reactive service provider for the citizens of the city. 

In recent years the city has progressed from one that just serves the citizens of the community to one that sees huge benefit in public/private partnerships. The future is therefore not reactionary, but a proactive collaboration between the administrative arm of the city, the citizens and business. This city belongs to everyone who lives in it and the solutions to its problems aren't a result of a municipality just providing services to the people any more, but everyone working together for the collective good for all.

Many good logos and symbols have a symbolic meaning. For example the South Africa flag isn't just a random collection of pretty colours, it has meaning and that meaning needs to be explained, otherwise you could just as well make up your own meaning. The new City of Cape Town logo also has meaning behind it that might not be apparent on face value.

Commentary seems to indicate that people are upset that the image of Table Mountain has been done away with. But if you look carefully the patterned rings of the new logo consist of repeating images of Table Mountain joined together. Instead of just one mountain image - it repeats itself in patterned, colour rings. Maybe you can see a Protea, the cogs of local industry, the cluster of a road bike riding the Argus Cycle Tour or the spirit of our famous world heritage site being reflected repeatedly in each of us?

There is no doubt that as a city, Cape Town faces many challenges. That is why we are working tirelessly with communities to achieve the best level of service delivery possible, to provide opportunities for work, access to decent sanitation and housing, access to quality public transport and a myriad other initiatives. The new identity will in no way detract from this service provision, as no new budget has been allocated for its implementation. We will instead streamline our internal processes and ensure far greater value for money and impactful communication.

With a progressive strategy a modern city can attract new businesses to set up shop here creating more jobs and opportunities. With the right focus the city can accelerate tourism, attract more world-class events and conferences and together with business can start to do more than just provide municipal services alone.

It is normal and important for an organisation to contemporize and refresh its look when it changes direction, both in the private sector and in government. Change is sometimes uncomfortable and might unsettle initially. As individuals, we all have our preferences for colours and shapes, but it is important to understand that the development of an identity is informed by design and strategy criteria. It cannot simply be subjective or there would never be agreement on any visual form. 

A logo should not be judged in isolation - it needs to be seen in combination with the communication strategy that accompanies, it and we are excited for our residents and other stakeholders to experience both in our communication campaigns going forward.

Please visit here to view a video explaining the strategic intent that informed the change in visual representation.

Please visit here (PDF) for a comprehensive Question and Answer document.

Statement issued by the City of Cape Town, February 27 2014

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