http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/s/150/150830_city_logo_to_stay_under_wraps.html
City logo to stay under wraps PLANS to reveal Manchester's new logo - a letter "M" - at a glitzy conference in Cannes were dropped at the last minute.
Designer Peter Saville is believed to have been paid £50,000 to come up with the logo.
He produced the design in three weeks - instead of the customary three months - in time for the showcase. But he then refused to unveil his creation until he was sure how it would be used.
"What is the point of a logo?" said Mr Saville, who designed record sleeves for New Order and Joy Division. "London does not have a logo, nor Paris and they seem to be managing. What do you do with one, apart from put it on a balloon and float it above the town hall?"
The logo is part of a major branding exercise which has produced a new soundbite to represent the city - "original-modern".
Design
The bill for the logo is being paid by Marketing Manchester and the North West Development Agency.
The city council asked Mr Saville to fast-track the work so it would be ready for a major property conference in the south of France this week.
It is understood his design was shown to the creative panel in charge of the branding exercise last week and to council leader Richard Leese in a private briefing on Monday.
But Mr Saville did not unveil the logo at the conference.
"There is still debate on how and when it should be used and I don't want to show it without being able to say what it is for, what are its relevant applications," he said.
T-shirts
"The creative panel wanted to start running off T-shirts with the signifier on the front but that is not what this is about. We have to retain its value as an endorsing brand."
Confusion over the logo's use has arisen because the council does not want it to become a corporate badge. There has been talk of reserving it for major events in the city, like the recent Sustainable Communities summit and the CBI conference.
Council leader Richard Leese said: "We want a unifier that would represent brand Manchester and be instantly recognisable. It is true to say we have not worked through the potential usage and how we would govern its license so it was decided not to preview it at the conference."
