Mayor's office to roll out new 'classic' brand identity

Following a protracted pitch, led by the Mayor's director of marketing Dan Ritterband, design agency Saffron picked up the brief to create a new all-encompassing brand for the capital.

It is now understood that the plain sans-serif typeface introduced by Visit London in 2008, and created by Saffron, will roll out to other promotional bodies such as Think London and Film London.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) is also expected to extend the branding to other divisions, such as Transport for London (TfL) and the London Development Agency (LDA).

When calling the review last year, Ritterband said it provided an opportunity to 'tidy up' communications and create a coherent message that mirrored the success of New York's 'NYC' branding.

The original brief, sent out in August, said the Mayor's Office was looking for a marque which represented the diversity of the capital.

Design agencies Studio Conran and Dragon Rouge reached the final stage of the pitch process, only for the GLA to hand the project to Saffron.

Visit London re-branded in 2008 to mark the capital's official transition to Olympic host city, and launched its first global ad campaign using the line 'See the world. Visit London'.

The Mayor's Office was unavailable for comment.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk