New World Trade Center logo is heavy with symbolism

Landor has created the new identity for the World Trade Center development in New York – a complex of buldings on the site of the original Twin Towers which were destroyed in the attacks on 11 September 2001.

Video:

WTC logo

The new development will feature five towers and a memorial to those who died in the 2001 attack. The new buildings are set to open between now and 2020.

Landor’s new logo is heavy with symbolism. According to the New York Times, each of the five bars in the logo represents one of the five towers that will make up the new World Trade Center.

Two empty columns at the top represent the Tribute in Light memorial that will be built on the site, while the two columns below them represent the twin pools of the National September 11 Memorial.

The top half of the logo features bars slanted at a 17.76˚ angle, a reference to the 1,776-foot height of the new 1 World Trade Center building (itself a reference to 1776 – the date of the US Declaration of Independence).

Visualisation of the completed World Trade Center development

Source: dbox, courtesy of Silverstein Properties

Visualisation of the completed World Trade Center development

As a whole, the new logo forms a ‘W’, which references both World Trade Center and Westfield, the developer behind retail space in the new complex.

According to the New York Times, the new identity will be used across the entire World Trade Center site, on applications such as wayfinding, building entrances, uniforms and websites.

Landor was appointed to the $3.57 million (£2.14 million) contract in 2013 by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the site.

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  • D Conran November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    A lot of explanation and forced ‘meaning’ when it really is just a ‘W’ from blocks!

    I actually think it looks quite fragile, top heavy and going to fall over and would of expected something more steadfast and solid given the history.

  • GF November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Micro 4/3 anyone?

  • Pawel Saladziak November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Well, based on similar idea as micro four thirds standard logo:

    http://www.four-thirds.org/en/microft/logo.html

  • Pawel Saladziak November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am
  • VisualBranding November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    Good point, would be more effective w 3 blocks on bottom. However it is unique & still representative.

  • Emma Gleaden November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am

    “The new development will feature five towers and a memorial to those who died in the 2011 attack. ”

    Is this a mistake? Don’t you mean the 2001 attack?

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