Keeping it weird
Austin, Texas, has replaced its run-of-the-mill city seal with an actual logo and identity system, and citizens are outraged for the usual reasons: 1) it wasn’t free, and 2) they just don’t like change. But the design, created by Pentagram, possesses the kind meaningful content and potential for use/growth that most cities only dream about.
Pentagram partner DJ Stout, an Austin resident himself, says that pre-design research showed that using a star—a common Texas trope—would not be fitting for a city that lives by the slogan, “Keep Austin Weird.” A liberal city in a conservative state, the design needed to describe what makes Austin unique.
The city has exceptional water features: giant, spring-fed pools; the Colorado River runs through the city; and part of the city is built around Lady Bird Lake. All that water means that it is a green city, with plenty of trees. It’s also the start of Texas’ Hill Country. The new A-shaped logo is formed by two lines, one blue and one green, representing these water and land attributes. The purplish-blue shade was specifically chosen to represent the color of an Austin sunset.
