Just a little hollow?

From today’s SMH.

Sydney will be given a new international brand, NSW Premier Morris Iemma says.

The logo will encompass the “stature, strength and spirit of this great global city”, Mr Iemma told reporters today.

“The Sydney brand will deliver a consistent message to international audiences that will define Sydney as a leader in business, culture, tourism, events and education.”

“People are clearly aware that we are a welcoming city … now we need to tell them more about how well we perform in other areas.”

A Brand Sydney Project, to be chaired by the head of Events NSW, John O’Neill, will produce the logo, which is expected to be launched in the middle of next year.

First of all, did someone forget to tell them that a logo is just one component of developing a brand, and behind that brand you actually need to be able to back what you’re trying to position, otherwise it comes across without any conviction - a little hollow and certainly trite.

The first way to get that conviction going is for Iemma to pull his finger out and think about some long term planning for this city, otherwise we will see it very quickly usurped by Melbourne and Brisbane.

Morris, forget your logotype and get down to how business to work on improving how we do perform in other areas. Take a look at your transport infrastructure as one of the first of many things you should be tackling.

[/end rant]