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South Australia’s new ‘origami Pope hat’ logo prompts online competition to find a better one

South Australia's 'origame pope hat' logo

South Australia’s new ‘origami Pope hat’ logo

An online design group has launched a competition to find a better logo than the new one just launched by the South Australian government.

The $1.3m logo – which depicts the region as a doorway into Australia – was created by Melbourne design firm Cato Purnell Partners, which was hired in September last year to tackle South Australia’s identity conundrum.

But the new logo – which replaced the ‘Brilliant blend’ logo designed by Parallax Design and ad firm KWP! – has being heavily criticised, with Gruen Transfer host Wil Anderson likening it to a Pope’s mitre made from origami.

Victoria causes bad design Facebook picPope South Australia logoA Facebook page was set up earlier this week called The new South Australia logo sucks, which already has more than 1,000 members.

Some members of the group have attacked the government’s decision to use a design firm based in Victoria rather than an SA firm.

Others wondered why the new logo does not feature Tasmania.

The man behind the new design, Ken Cato, who has created brand marks for Channel Seven and the Commonwealth bank, has defended his work, saying that a key element of the design was to clearly identify where South Australia is. “Immediately you know this is not South Africa, this is not South America, this is not Saudi Arabia,” he told Adelaide Now.

Online design community 99designs has launched a competition to find some better alternatives. Some of the new designs, many of which feature butterflies, kangaroos and grapes, can be seen here.

In May last year, South Australian premier Jay Weatherill said in an interview with the ABC that foreigners tend to confuse South Australia with South Africa and think its capital is Melbourne, so a rebrand was necessary.

Tourism Australia’s new revamped kangaroo logo, which was created for $200,000 by Interbrand Sydney, also caused a stir when it launched in December.

The South Australian Tourism Commission account is currently under review, with KWP! Advertising defending the account which went out to tender in November last year.

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