Scottish councils in new logo frenzy

Scottish Secretary Michael Forsyth has slated Edinburgh City Council for spending 400 000 on a new identity – for which the council conducted an unpaid creative pitch involving five consultancies.

It was reported that Forsyth questioned the cost of the identity following calls for councils to receive more funding in order to aid poverty and homelessness.

Edinburgh council convenor Eric Milligan hit back at Forsyth’s comments, justifying the need for a new logo by the merger of Lothian Regional Council with City of Edinburgh District Council.

“The Secretary of State is being provocative. We did not seek reorganisation. Is the council supposed to keep this a secret from its residents?” says Milligan.

A council spokeswoman confirms the figure covers implementation over a four-year period. The selected in-house team consists of designers from both councils.

This unpaid pitch coincided with Fife Council’s controversial approach to consultancies to take part in a Scotland-wide free-pitch (DW 15 December 1995).

Fife now reveals that it has a shortlist of four. These are

Glasgow’s Legend Design Consultants, Midlothian consultancy James Gardiner Associates and two separate concepts from in-house graphic designers at the council.

Fife received more than 100 entries from designers, members of the public, art students and council employees. It confirms that it “put out a design brief to more than 20 Scottish design agencies inviting them to submit roughs at no cost”. A decision will be made in six weeks.

Meanwhile, Tayburn McIlroy Coates is designing an identity for West Lothian Council. It won a credentials pitch for the project.

And Inverness consultancy MFA confirms it is creating a logo for the Highlands Council, after winning a paid creative pitch against Tayburn McIlroy Coates.