November 24, 2021 3.27 pm This story is over 28 months old

Designer’s verdict on Lincolnshire council logos

Looking at all 10 councils in the county
The county council approved plans for a temporary extension

A freelance designer, illustrator and writer has given a quirky analysis of the logos of councils, rating 399 across the country including 10 in Greater Lincolnshire.

The list by Sheffield-based Robin Wilde, who has clients worldwide, includes 399 county, city and district councils. However, parish/community councils were not included for reasons including that many of them don’t have logos.

Each logo was ranked using broad criteria accounting for the adherence to design principles, the originality of the concept, and the technical execution, “with nebulous bonus points added or subtracted on a whim”, because as Robin points out “unlike your local council, this is not a democracy”.

Lincolnshire County Council was ranked 92nd in the list and Robin describes the logo by saying: “All hail the dancing demon of strategic planning, waste disposal and libraries” – read his full council logo analysis here.

The highest ranked logo in the county was North Kesteven District Council in 61st place, with City of Lincoln Council’s the lowest in Greater Lincolnshire down in 364th. Robin’s home city of Sheffield was 93rd. Bedford Borough Council was ranked as having the number one council logo.

Robin told The Lincolnite: “Lincolnshire’s case highlights the disadvantage that geography can be for councils looking to recruit digital and design talent.

“Local government salaries aren’t high and it can be difficult to encourage new graduates with relevant skills to move to rural areas which aren’t near major cities.

“After more than a decade of cuts, councils often feel they can’t afford to bring in agencies or freelancers, or to roll out council-wide design changes if they do.

“Of course design isn’t more important than service delivery, but it does matter, because a solid understanding of design principles will help councils deliver services in a way residents understand, and communicate about them effectively.”

See Robin’s analysis of the remaining nine councils in Greater Lincolnshire (with rank in brackets):

North Kesteven District Council (61)

North Kesteven District Council.

Robin said: “I’m not quite sure what it is, but it’s a pleasing colour combination.”

North Lincolnshire Council (77)

North Lincolnshire Council.

Robin said: “Should really be called Scunthorpe, but nonetheless, a strong effort which avoids using the steelworks, therefore heading off inter-town conflict. The colour choices are strong and the fonts integrate nicely.”

West Lindsey District Council (163)

West Lindsey District Council.

Robin said: “If I had no remarkable features other than a lot of farmland, I’d probably emphasise that too.”

East Lindsey District Council (165)

East Lindsey District Council.

Robin said: “One of the stronger examples of the sea/coast/land motif, with a good colour selection, although deployed in the wrong order, perhaps. Unless those are supposed to be rapeseed fields in which case plough right ahead.”

North East Lincolnshire Council (206)

North East Lincolnshire Council.

Robin said: “After so many coastal boat logos, I’m astonished NE Lincs (Grimsby) Council has avoided doing the same. A fish would have been right there for the taking!

“So I’m actually quite appreciative of the very literal interpretation of the brief. It’s a shame they chose the rather blunt primary colour scheme and the oddly justified text, otherwise this could have been nice.”

South Kesteven District Council (229)

South Kesteven District Council.

Robin said: “A very slight amount of quirkiness to the font here gives a basically poor piece of work extra marks.”

Boston Borough Council (310)

Bostoon Borough Council.

Robin said: “The good thing about Boston being by the sea is it doesn’t have to go to landfill, it can be dumped overboard instead.”

South Holland District Council (335)

South Holland District Council.

Robin said: “Yeah, a flat expanse with a stream and a flower pretty much meets my memories of being driven to Norfolk. Not a bad concept or execution, but too much going on.”

City of Lincoln Council (364)

City of Lincoln Council.

Robin said: “Lincoln’s logo nearly works — a less loopy serif for the city name and ditch the boring shield crest and you’d probably have something crisp and decent. The low quality and those flaws relegates it to low-mid table, however.”