beigeingham | time for progress?
Spurred on by recent stirrings about how it’s all going a bit ding dong, here’s my tuppence worth:
One upon a time, there was a city called Beigeingham. It was ruled by formal processes, red tape and straplines which didn’t reflect the reality of the intention. It was global, yet local, but didn’t really exhalt the virtues of either apart from internal meanderings and a sense of fumbling. In Beigeingham, the buildings were beige, daily life was beige and the people felt…. beige. Beige men in beige suits drove on beige cars to their beige offices. They took their tea in a Pantone 7504c hue but shunned sugar, which was deemed risky. They spoke in beige tones on their beige phones. Beigeingham was bland, unappealing to inhabitants of the other more brightly coloured cities and towns and liked it like that. Any wanton splashes of creativity were quickly smothered, by paint or by proxy.
Within Beigeingham, there was a growing insurgency to the official stance of the city. Bright flashes of gleaming colour, vibrant voices shrill with imaginative ideas and distant beats formed a visual and urban soundtrack which pulsed rhythmically through small cracks in the walls. They mused over being able to truly introduce colour to the city, but often found the beige haze too stifling to do so. They wanted to stretch their limbs without feeling boxed in by bureaucracy, to let themselves go and to let the people in to this hidden spectrum. They liked what they saw in the attitude of the creative scene in San Francisco and Los Angeles; they wished a bit of that for themselves. Where art and the state don’t really mix.
They wondered what it would take to achieve that kind of attitude. They wondered about doing it themselves.
The Break Free Manifesto:
- No logo
- Evolution is imperative and the need for it must be acknowledged and respected by official bodies.
- It’s not about self-interest – it embraces all who trade, visit, consume or adore. It brings elements together where it makes sense to do so – it’s more about healthy benevolence, but allows those who should benefit to do so.
- It’s not about the establishment. It recognises many forms of creativity: art, music, dance, theatre, multimedia, skate culture, tattoos, grafitti et al.
- It recognises that the state’s not going to do this and that those most qualified to do so, the city’s creatives, are the leads on this.
Break free. Time to do it ourselves?
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You are a fine woman who really, really dislikes THAT logo.
You’re right about the logo, but it’s about what the logo ended up representing and beyond that’s really got my goat. ;)
For this reason you are cool!
I’d having a creative director would give a creative every reason to flock to London.
I’d never be happy with one person or even a small group of people having decisions over my creativity
I agree, Antonio. I think it should be more about championing rather than decreeing – I see an argument for a Creative Director, but it’s still governed by the Council which doesn’t sit entirely comfortably with me. Still working to pre-determined official goals. Conflict of interests?
It’s just not fluid enough – it should evolve by itself and not be manipulated.
I mostly agree …
Except for the big, bold ‘no logo’ bit. (Which is unsurprising coming from a designer!)
Please don’t be angry at logos in general. Even Naomi Klein (her of ‘No Logo’ fame) has her name written in the same font, at the same size and always in uppercase on her books – surely that’s verging on a logo itself?!
What I’m trying to say is that not all logos are bad and evil and ugly and representative of mundane things and lacking creativity (though some most certainly are) and I reckon they can often be darned creative – and really rather useful.
But as I said, I am biased ;)
Katie, the ‘No Logo’ bit is bold because it’s a link ;) I don’t hate all logos (just certain ones I don’t think fit the purpose) – it’s linking to a previous post I did about some other thoughts I had about Brum, that’s all!
:)
Oh-ar – don’t I feel like a reet ninny!
Serves me right for going on a commenting spree when I should’ve gone to bed an hour ago. ;D
Ooh, you’re not a ninny at all, doll! I have my links like that to confuse people ;)
The current logo was created in 1985. That is as old as me! It is the shape of a heart which derived from the ‘The Big Heart Of England’ campaign in the 1980’s.
The logo was also tagged with “Your City, Your Council, Your Future”. Erm, yes, right. I’ll let you make your own mind up over that one.
yes, if we cant stand up abnd be counted for ourselves, theres no use moaning when other people “dont get it” and wont do things for us.
Perhaps the divide between establishment and grass roots creativity will narrow in time?
Xx
Agree with you, Rich. I think there’s some work to done independently before it can get to a point where it reaches its own comfort zone and achieves recognition and understanding as such – only then do I think there’s a better chance of the divide narrowing.