Design for British Telecom corporate identity
Design
1991 (made)
1991 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This design is one of a sequence showing a stage in the visual development of a brand for a multinational company.
As part of a new strategic direction, British Telecom hired the brand business Wolff Olins to redesign their logo in the late 1980s. In the wake of its privatisation, the company wanted to move away from its image as a faceless, state-owned telecommunications system and instead stress the human aspect of its activities. Launched in 1991, the logo of the piper blowing a trumpet was designed with this goal in mind. The graceful image took inspiration from Modernist painters like Matisse and Picasso. Wolff Olins actively encouraged its designers to reinterpret the pioneering work of fine artists and to experiment with symbolism, an approach which is evident in this design.
At one point there were as many as forty people in separate teams working on the BT project. It became a laborious process of drawing, submitting the ideas for evaluation, then re-drawing and refining.
Wolff Olins suggested that David Hockney should render the final image, but in the end it was painted by an anonymous artist. Although the logo was criticised in the press, it did remain in use until 2003.
As part of a new strategic direction, British Telecom hired the brand business Wolff Olins to redesign their logo in the late 1980s. In the wake of its privatisation, the company wanted to move away from its image as a faceless, state-owned telecommunications system and instead stress the human aspect of its activities. Launched in 1991, the logo of the piper blowing a trumpet was designed with this goal in mind. The graceful image took inspiration from Modernist painters like Matisse and Picasso. Wolff Olins actively encouraged its designers to reinterpret the pioneering work of fine artists and to experiment with symbolism, an approach which is evident in this design.
At one point there were as many as forty people in separate teams working on the BT project. It became a laborious process of drawing, submitting the ideas for evaluation, then re-drawing and refining.
Wolff Olins suggested that David Hockney should render the final image, but in the end it was painted by an anonymous artist. Although the logo was criticised in the press, it did remain in use until 2003.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Design for British Telecom corporate identity (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Black paint drawn and painted on white paper |
| Brief description | Design for British Telecom corporate identity by Wolff Olins, 1991 |
| Physical description | Design for the pipe player (playing a double headed pipe) for the BT re-brand, in a sketched style. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Design |
| Summary | This design is one of a sequence showing a stage in the visual development of a brand for a multinational company. As part of a new strategic direction, British Telecom hired the brand business Wolff Olins to redesign their logo in the late 1980s. In the wake of its privatisation, the company wanted to move away from its image as a faceless, state-owned telecommunications system and instead stress the human aspect of its activities. Launched in 1991, the logo of the piper blowing a trumpet was designed with this goal in mind. The graceful image took inspiration from Modernist painters like Matisse and Picasso. Wolff Olins actively encouraged its designers to reinterpret the pioneering work of fine artists and to experiment with symbolism, an approach which is evident in this design. At one point there were as many as forty people in separate teams working on the BT project. It became a laborious process of drawing, submitting the ideas for evaluation, then re-drawing and refining. Wolff Olins suggested that David Hockney should render the final image, but in the end it was painted by an anonymous artist. Although the logo was criticised in the press, it did remain in use until 2003. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.951-1997 |
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| Record created | June 8, 2009 |
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