Tottenham’s a nice place – just give Ts a chance!

With regard to the letters from David Bicknell (DW 20 March) and Stuart Gordon (DW 27 March) about the Tottenham logo developed by Lloyd Northover (DW 13 March), I’d like to add a few words in its defence.

Last week, waiting at my local bus stop around 8.30am, I saw a hoodie on a mountain bike threatening a man. He was shouting, ‘I’ll fucking stab your eyes out, you black cunt.’

I don’t live in Tottenham. A place to which hoodies, drugs, guns and motorbike theft are clearly not confined. Tott enham does not deserve its reputation. Our client had the foresight to readdress how people perceive the area.

Like any brand, the Totten ham brand is essentially an idea. Something people can rally around and feel good about; a shared aspiration that people can work towards together with pride.

The ‘T’ logo is simply a symbol of this idea. Unlike Unilever’s ‘U’, this ‘T’ is both explicit and flexible about the things it can be made from.

A versatile icon for Tottenham, representing its different, positive qualities. Something Tottenham can take ownership of and have fun with. People can make their own, out of different things, colours, patterns, tex tures and images. Of course we pointed out the unintended, superficial similarities to Unilever’s ‘U’ to our client. It didn’t care, and people in Tottenham fell in love with it.

We never thought this brand would change the world. But hopefully it will change some minds about Tottenham.

Phil Heaton, Brand consul tant, Lloyd Northover, by e-mail