When the original is this good, don’t ‘refresh’ it

Is it really necessary to ‘refresh’ the National Trust identity (www.designweek.co.uk, 27 October)? If any organisation cares about heritage and conservation, surely the trust should.

Instead of squandering the money on this folly, why not tap into David Gentleman’s original thinking? It is far, far stronger than anything that’s been produced in recent years and I doubt it will be overshadowed by whatever Wolff Olins will produce.

Looking back 30 years to the posters (pictured), photographs, illustrations and graphics produced by Gentleman makes me aware of what an exemplary body of work it was, and still is.

What a missed opportunity. I believe that Alan Fletcher’s classic marque for the Victoria & Albert Museum is currently under review, too. Why this mania for tampering with perfectly worked out logos?For God’s sake, leave them alone – they don’t need refreshing. These bodies need to appreciate what they have been given, instead of being seduced by a lot of psychobabble marketing strategy.

Sadly, more often than not, we end up with diluted, overworked, inferior solutions with a hefty price tag.

Let’s have a bit of design conservation, for a change.
Mike Dempsey, Founder, Studio Dempsey, by e-mail