Skip to content

The Logo Story

Bengaluru Logo

When we set out to design the logo for Bengaluru.com, the objective was clear. The need was to come up with a logo that was simple, visual, representative of what the city stands for. We wanted viewers to cognitively associate the city with the logo.

Our guiding principles were to:

  • Showcase the city’s claim to fame
  • Use colors in a planned way
  • Keep it simple and avoid confusing scrawls that did not convey anything
  • Choose a elegant, minimalist yet futuristic font
  • Avoid using images and icons that could divert focus

Over the city’s life of nearly 500 years, it has earned many epithets starting with the “Town of Boiled Beans”.  We chose the following for our logo –

Beta+ Global Classification

Global City position – Sociologist Saskia Sassen used the term “Global City” in 1991 to describe a city’s position and influence – mainly in terms of effect on global trade, finance, technology capabilities. Of course, every city would vie to be on top of such a list and this status is much sought after.

Globalization and World Cities Research Network  or GaWC classifies world cities and ranks them in different categories mainly based on economic standing. At the top is Alpha level which boasts of major power centers such as London and New York.  Two Indian cities Mumbai and New Delhi feature in this category.

The next level down is Beta+ and Namma Bengaluru is included at this level.  These are defined as moderate economic regions – which indicate that there is still some way to go to reach the top. It still is an amazing growth story for a city that was considered as a Pensioner’s Paradise about 25 years ago.

Electronics and IT Hub

In the year 1985, Texas Instruments was the first globally known company to set up an office in the city called Bangalore. Little did they or anyone realize what an important milestone this would turn out to be in its future path.

Of course, three decades earlier, many public sector organizations in the electrical and electronics domain like BEL and ITI had already been set up in the city.

Fast forwarding to the 1990s and 2000s, Bengaluru has become a global electronics and Information technology hub. It would surely rank as it is biggest success story and global recognition.

When we set out to design the logo for Bengaluru.com, the objective was clear and simple. We wanted a logo that was simple, visually appealing and representative of what the city stands for. We wanted viewers to cognitively associate the city with the logo.

Our guiding principles were

  • Showcase the city’s claim to fame
  • Use colors in a planned way
  • Keep it simple and avoid confusing scrawls that did not convey anything
  • Choose a elegant, minimalist yet futuristic font
  • Avoid using images and icons that could divert focus

Over the city’s life of nearly 500 years, it has earned many epithets starting with the “Town of Boiled Beans”.  We chose the following for our logo –

Our Global Standing

Sociologist Saskia Sassen used the term “Global City” in 1991 to describe a city’s position and influence – mainly in terms of effect on global trade, finance, technology capabilities.  Globalization and World Cities Research Network  or GaWC classifies world cities and ranks them in different categories mainly based on economic standing. Bengaluru is classified as a Beta+ city (“ important world cities that are instrumental in linking their region or state into the world economy”). 

Electronics and IT Hub

Bengaluru was the home of many public sector undertakings that were set up during the years after independence.  Many of these like Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) specialized in Electrical and Electronics products.  In the year 1985, Texas Instruments was the first globally known company to set up an office in the city called Bangalore. Little did they or anyone realize what an important milestone this would turn out to be in its future path. 

Fast forwarding to the present day, Bengaluru has become a Global Electronics and Information Technology hub.  Companies like Cisco, Intel among others have their research and development units in the city. This will surely rank as the city’s biggest success story and the prime reason behind its global recognition. 

Garden City

 While Bengaluru was always known for the conducive climate, elevation and greenery, the foundation for being the Garden City was laid back in 1750 when Hyder Ali developed Lalbagh. About 120 years later in 1870, Cubbon Park was developed under the British rule of India. These two parks account for over 500 acres of much wanted flora and fauna. The city also boasted of tree-lined streets, boulevards and local parks that collectively justified the title.  Today, the biggest threat facing the city is the vanishing greenery.  It is said that green leaves leaves depict hope, renewal, and revival. We too fervently hope that the leaf symbol in our logo will bring the garden back into the city.

 

Science and Technology Center

The selection of the city as the key location for many public sector giants like HMT, HAL, BEL and ITI was influenced in part by the premier institutions of learning like Indian Institute of Science (1909) and Raman Research Institute (1948). Quality science and technology education imparted by these and others like University Visveshvaraya College of Engineering or UVCE (1917) have played a big role in the recognition and growth of the city.

Alpha – the first alphabet in Greek, is mostly commonly used symbol in mathematics, science and engineering. 

Startup Capital

According to one estimate, the city hosts about 30% of the startups in the country. The cosmopolitan nature of the city, the established educational institutions and high-technology organizations act as a catalyst to nurture new ideas and ventures.  Many world renowned companies such as Infosys, Wipro and Flipkart have their roots in the city. 

The red arrow represents the successful launch of yet another new startup.

Spotlight

Kempe Gowda (of Magadi, 1521-1569) or Hiriya Kempe Gowda was the founder of Bangalore in the year 1537. Legend says that his son Kempe Gowda II built the four towers in stone to mark the outer most boundaries of Bangalore. But today the city has outgrown these boundaries and they stand prominently in the heart of the city. These towers, while similar in shape and size, have small variations in their structure and design. All four were also built close to lakes in the city. 

Today, the four towers can be found at Mekhri Circle, Gavipura, Lalbagh and Ulsoor Lake.  These are probably the most famous heritage landmarks of the city. 

Kempegowda Tower

Spotlight will showcase different landmarks of the city at regular intervals.

Image Credit: Viacheslav Belyaev | Dreamstime.com

When we set out to design the logo for Bengaluru.com, the objective was clear and simple. We wanted a logo that was simple, visually appealing and representative of what the city stands for. We wanted viewers to cognitively associate the city with the logo.

Our guiding principles were

  • Showcase the city’s claim to fame
  • Use colors in a planned way
  • Keep it simple and avoid confusing scrawls that did not convey anything
  • Choose a elegant, minimalist yet futuristic font
  • Avoid using images and icons that could divert focus

Over the city’s life of nearly 500 years, it has earned many epithets starting with the “Town of Boiled Beans”.  We chose the following for our logo –

Our Global Standing

Sociologist Saskia Sassen used the term “Global City” in 1991 to describe a city’s position and influence – mainly in terms of effect on global trade, finance, technology capabilities.  Globalization and World Cities Research Network  or GaWC classifies world cities and ranks them in different categories mainly based on economic standing. Bengaluru is classified as a Beta+ city (“ important world cities that are instrumental in linking their region or state into the world economy”). 

Electronics and IT Hub

Bengaluru was the home of many public sector undertakings that were set up during the years after independence.  Many of these like Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) specialized in Electrical and Electronics products.  In the year 1985, Texas Instruments was the first globally known company to set up an office in the city called Bangalore. Little did they or anyone realize what an important milestone this would turn out to be in its future path. 

Fast forwarding to the present day, Bengaluru has become a Global Electronics and Information Technology hub.  Companies like Cisco, Intel among others have their research and development units in the city. This will surely rank as the city’s biggest success story and the prime reason behind its global recognition. 

Garden City

 While Bengaluru was always known for the conducive climate, elevation and greenery, the foundation for being the Garden City was laid back in 1750 when Hyder Ali developed Lalbagh. About 120 years later in 1870, Cubbon Park was developed under the British rule of India. These two parks account for over 500 acres of much wanted flora and fauna. The city also boasted of tree-lined streets, boulevards and local parks that collectively justified the title.  Today, the biggest threat facing the city is the vanishing greenery.  It is said that green leaves leaves depict hope, renewal, and revival. We too fervently hope that the leaf symbol in our logo will bring the garden back into the city.

Science and Technology Center

The selection of the city as the key location for many public sector giants like HMT, HAL, BEL and ITI was influenced in part by the premier institutions of learning like Indian Institute of Science (1909) and Raman Research Institute (1948). Quality science and technology education imparted by these and others like University Visveshvaraya College of Engineering or UVCE (1917) have played a big role in the recognition and growth of the city.

Alpha – the first alphabet in Greek, is mostly commonly used symbol in mathematics, science and engineering. 

Startup Capital

According to one estimate, the city hosts about 30% of the startups in the country. The cosmopolitan nature of the city, the established educational institutions and high-technology organizations act as a catalyst to nurture new ideas and ventures.  Many world renowned companies such as Infosys, Wipro and Flipkart have their roots in the city. 

The red arrow represents the successful launch of yet another new startup.

Spotlight

Kempe Gowda (of Magadi, 1521-1569) was the founder of Bangalore in the year 1537. Legend says that he built the four towers in stone to mark the outer most boundaries of Bangalore. But today the city has outgrown these boundaries and they stand prominently in the heart of the city. These towers, while similar in shape and size, have small variations in their structure and design. All four were also built close to lakes in the city. 

Today, the four towers can be found at Mekhri Circle, Gavipura, Lalbagh and Ulsoor Lake.  These are probably the most famous heritage landmarks of the city. 

Kempegowda Tower

Spotlight will showcase different landmarks of the city at regular intervals.

Image Credit: Viacheslav Belyaev | Dreamstime.com