MoD set to target identity crisis

The Ministry of Defence is planning to hold a pitch for the job of creating a corporate manual for the British Army. The department says it will look for at least three design consultancies to take part.

An MoD spokesman confirms that “we definitely need a set of guidelines, but we have to get clearance first. We’ll be ready to look for designers in August or September”.

The spokesman claims that the Army’s existing image is “inappropriate. We want to promote the good aspects and we want consultancies to examine the whole question of identity, starting with a unifying typeface for all our publications”.

The Army’s existing logo, swords crossed over a lion icon, will remain, as will a fluttering flag image used in advertising campaigns.

“We need to choose which logo should be emphasised,” says the spokesman.

What kind of pitch or tender process will be deployed to select a design consultancy has not yet been decided.

The Army has issued a card listing public relations slogans. It was designed by the MoD’s information publications division.

See Diary, page 28.