Worcester and Hereford part

Hereford and Worcester County Council has employed two design consultancies to create new corporate identities, one for each city, in preparation for the division of the authority next year.

Local residents have campaigned for the splitting of the authority back into two independent councils since they first merged in 1974. In-house designers at Hereford and Worcester are now working with Newenglish on a logo for Worcestershire County Council, and with Grassi Design Company on one for Herefordshire Council.

Mike Grassi, a partner at Grassi Design, says that an identity has already been created to mark the year of separation in Hereford, and that the council is considering retaining it on a permanent basis. The identity features an apple to reflect Hereford’s reputation for cider making.

Worcester is seeking a contemporary image with some traditional values and featuring a black pear, according to Carl Bebbington of Newenglish, who describes the authority as “really switched on to design”. Neither consultancy pitched for the work. The authorities become independent on 1 April 1998.