{"id":62075,"date":"2025-11-25T16:02:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=62075"},"modified":"2025-11-27T21:34:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T20:34:13","slug":"the-new-image-of-madrid-city-council-its-presentation-and-its-mistakes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/11\/25\/the-new-image-of-madrid-city-council-its-presentation-and-its-mistakes\/","title":{"rendered":"The new image of Madrid City Council, its presentation and its mistakes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A few days ago, the Madrid City Council unexpectedly unveiled its new image, or rather, just its new logo.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/06\/04\/the-new-image-of-the-agencia-estatal-de-meteorologia-aemet-and-its-drawbacks\/\">The new image of the Agencia Estatal de Meteorolog\u00eda (AEMET) and its drawbacks<\/a><\/rel><br \/>\n<rel><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2023\/11\/23\/the-errors-of-the-new-logo-of-the-senate-of-spain-from-the-perspective-of-a-designer\/\">The errors of the new logo of the Senate of Spain from the perspective of a designer<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n<p><strong>The unveiling took place without any prior announcement<\/strong> during the city's Christmas lights switch-on ceremony on Saturday, November 22nd. <strong>The new logo was simply displayed on the lectern without any prior mention.<\/strong> The following day, the official Madrid City Council Twitter account included the new logo at the end of the video they posted about the lighting ceremony.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"665\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\udf84Noche m\u00e1gica en Madrid con el encendido de las luces de Navidad<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcabLos asistentes pudieron disfrutar de actuaciones, un videomapping y fuegos artificiales en un encendido a cargo de <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlmeidaPP_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AlmeidaPP_<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CSainz_oficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CSainz_oficial<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcf9\u00a1Te lo mostramos en el v\u00eddeo!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MadridEnciendeLaNavidad?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MadridEnciendeLaNavidad<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/stDiNwbUmD\">pic.twitter.com\/stDiNwbUmD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ayuntamiento Madrid (@MADRID) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MADRID\/status\/1992541132853559551?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I've been working as a graphic designer for over 20 years, and <strong>I never imagined that the new image of a major city like Madrid would be unveiled this way.<\/strong> Designing a city's corporate image is a long, difficult, and delicate process. After all, <strong>we're talking about a symbol that represents a large community of people<\/strong>. It doesn't have the institutional importance of a flag or an official coat of arms, but it comes close, since nowadays logos have as much or even more presence than traditional official symbols.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945002312_edf3474a3c_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NTAwMjMxMiwiZSI6MTc2NDA4Mzg1MCwicyI6IjVlNGI5YzQzNDhjZTZjY2NiZTdlYWFmM2QzN2MyNjBjMTEzY2JmYjMiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945002312_e3d19e37fa_c.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Can you imagine Madrid unveiling a new flag at the Christmas lights switch-on ceremony, without any prior announcement?<\/strong> The comparison might seem exaggerated, but something like that is what happened on Saturday. In the last few hours, we've learned\u2014because the Madrid City Council told the media\u2014that <a href=\"https:\/\/amp.elmundo.es\/madrid\/2025\/11\/25\/6924b035e4d4d825278b4593.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the new image had \"zero cost\" because it was designed by the City Council's General Directorate of Communication<\/a>, a misleading statement. Do the employees of the General Directorate of Communication get paid for their work? If so (it's obvious they're civil servants who aren't working for free), <strong>the new image didn't have \"zero cost\": it simply wasn't created by a design studio.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946191735_e82048b0c5_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NjE5MTczNSwiZSI6MTc2NDA4Mzg4NSwicyI6ImEwNmFlMjRlNDQ4YmFlMjFjNTNkZTc0YjVhZjZiYTQ3MjFiYzMxZDUiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946191735_d5c2d3f4f0_c.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telemadrid.es\/noticias\/madrid\/El-Ayuntamiento-de-Madrid-actualiza-su-identidad-visual-con-un-nuevo-logo-0-2837416245--20251124014121.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">According to Telemadrid, the design of the new logo has taken two years to complete.<\/a> Two years in which <strong>the mayor, Jos\u00e9 Luis Mart\u00ednez-Almeida, didn't even announce that the redesign was underway.<\/strong> It's amusing to see that the City Council is now invoking \"modern communication demands\" to justify it, because one of those demands, in a democracy, is transparency in the work of public administrations.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885726_476eee9d5b_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NTg4NTcyNiwiZSI6MTc2NDA4MzkwNSwicyI6Ijg4MWY4NDc1NzM2NGFkNDAyZThiNmIyN2E0YWQ3ODlhNDRhMTNjY2QiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885726_4915bd4ec3_c.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regarding the new logo, I regret to inform you that it is not yet featured on <a href=\"https:\/\/identidad.madrid.es\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Madrid City Council's corporate identity website<\/a>. The one currently available there is the one in use until now, introduced in 2003. The latest version of <a href=\"https:\/\/identidad.madrid.es\/manual\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">its corporate identity manual<\/a> is from 2024. <strong>The logo in use until now (below) was based on the heraldic shield of the city of Madrid<\/strong>, respecting its elements but using only two colors: white and blue. <strong>It was a very appropriate heraldic logo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885721_bca64c9a41_o.png?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NTg4NTcyMSwiZSI6MTc2NDA4MzkyNSwicyI6IjFiNDJjMjIyOTAyODU1OTg4M2RiNGQwYjFjNDgwOGYzZTAyM2VlYmQiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885721_d138cb2668_c.jpg\" style=\"width:661px; height:auto; margin:10px 0 10px 0; border:2px solid #252525;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the new image.<\/strong> The border with the seven six-pointed stars disappears. To compensate for its disappearance, <strong>the seven stars appear out of place, at the base of the crown<\/strong>. It's as if we made a logo based on the national coat of arms of Spain and decided to place the escutcheon with the three fleurs-de-lis between the crown and the shield. <strong>This makes no sense.<\/strong> I'm not even mentioning that <strong>the Madrid City Council uploaded this logo to its social media in JPG format instead of PNG<\/strong>, which makes its outlines blurry.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946084938_4520219fe0_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NjA4NDkzOCwiZSI6MTc2NDA4Mzk0OCwicyI6IjljNjQ0MjgxM2EzNjhkZDUwZmYwOWJiMzg2NzliNmJlMDVkYzU5YTAiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946084938_6b145988e6_c.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, <strong>the strawberry tree appears with a very simplified design<\/strong>, reduced to just two lines: a straight vertical line representing the trunk, and a curved line representing the tree's crown. It's difficult to identify what it is. <strong>The bear's design doesn't match this simplified representation of the strawberry tree.<\/strong> The style doesn't match. The crown, if we disregard the unfortunate placement of the stars, has an acceptable design. When discussing logos based on heraldic shields, I always cite as an example <a href=\"https:\/\/www.behance.net\/gallery\/41053157\/Ayuntamiento-de-Zaragoza?locale=es_ES\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the magnificent design created by Morillas Brand Design in 2006 for the Zaragoza City Council<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885711_d992845455_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NTg4NTcxMSwiZSI6MTc2NDA4NDA1NiwicyI6ImViNmVhZDI2YTBiZDgzMzJkYzFhM2Q2ODkxM2YxNjM1M2NkNDNkNjUiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54945885711_924a586444_c.jpg\" style=\"width:661px; height:auto; margin:10px 0 10px 0; border:2px solid #252525;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>This design consisted of simplifying the municipal coat of arms as much as possible without losing its symbolism.<\/strong> The crown is absent, but it wasn't necessary: \u200b\u200bit's a logo, not a coat of arms. <strong>The Madrid City Council wanted to design a logo based on a heraldic shield, and the result is far from perfect<\/strong>, because it was designed with coats of arms in mind, not logos, resulting in a case of trying too hard and failing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946191655_ab31ab3f89_o.jpg?s=eyJpIjo1NDk0NjE5MTY1NSwiZSI6MTc2NDA4NDA3NiwicyI6IjJlYjA5N2JkODk4MDZhYTRkYjdiNDEyMjA3M2FhYmE5ZmYzNTUxZTIiLCJ2IjoxfQ\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/54946191655_ba5313c14c_c.jpg\" style=\"width:100%; height:auto; border:0px;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The most successful aspect of Madrid's new image is the Chulapa typeface<\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/verne.elpais.com\/verne\/2019\/05\/07\/articulo\/1557239765_241122.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">created in 2019 by Joan-Carles Casas\u00edn and Pablo G\u00e1mez based on the font created by ceramist Alfredo Ruiz de Luna<\/a> (1949-2013) to illustrate the street and square signs of the Spanish capital. This font is public and free to use and can be downloaded from <a href=\"https:\/\/identidad.madrid.es\/la-chulapa\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Madrid City Council's corporate image website<\/a>. It must be said that <strong>Casas\u00edn and G\u00e1mez are type designers.<\/strong> That's the advantage of hiring professionals for these things.<\/p>\n<p>---<\/p>\n<p><small>Photos: Ayuntamiento de Madrid.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A few days ago, the Madrid City Council unexpectedly unveiled its new image, or rather, just its new logo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24602],"tags":[25831,17812,25832,13119,732,25618,25833],"class_list":["post-62075","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-branding","tag-alfredo-ruiz-de-luna","tag-community-of-madrid","tag-joan-carles-casasin","tag-jose-luis-martinez-almeida","tag-madrid","tag-madrid-city-council","tag-pablo-gamez"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62075"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62075\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}