Local authorities’ logos reflect their new status

Local authorities around England are implementing new identities as the last 19 county councils agreeing to unitary status went live last month.

The status change brings the responsibilities of local government under one roof, replacing the two-tier county council system of counties and districts.

Some newly created authorities are rolling out new identities, while others have chosen to retain the logo from their previous incarnations.

Herefordshire Council, a district created from Hereford and Worcester County Council, is about to unveil its new logo, created by Grassi Design with input from the in-house team.

“The logo is intended to move from the more traditional image to embrace modernity. But it had to retain some heritage,” says a Herefordshire council spokesman. This will roll out to stationery, signage, literature, liveries and public service organisations.

Worcestershire County Council is also rolling out its new identity, designed by Newenglish and the in-house team. This council was also created from the Hereford and Worcester County Council and is the only newly formed county council to come out of the status changes.

“This was a wide-ranging project. It included looking at how staff are perceived, how the organisation should evolve, whether our building was right,” says a Worcestershire County Council spokesman.

The change in status has not thrown up as much design work as expected (DW 20 January 1995). Only 28 unitary status authorities were formed in England – the “vast majority” of county councils voting to continue with the two-tiered system, according to a Local Government Association spokeswoman.

Of the 28 with unitary status, a number have chosen to retain their names and identities. This includes Nottingham City Council and the City of Plymouth Council, designed respectively by ad and marketing group Drakes Jardine with in-house input, and the in-house team.